


boy, you know i want your love

by dormant_bender



Series: pass out at three, wake up at ten. [1]
Category: Football RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Attempt at Humor, Awkward Sexual Situations, Didn't Know They Were Dating, Explicit Language, Fraternities & Sororities, Friends With Benefits, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Non-Explicit Sex, Recreational Drug Use, Stereotypes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-09
Updated: 2017-01-22
Packaged: 2018-09-15 21:58:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 27,759
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9259244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dormant_bender/pseuds/dormant_bender
Summary: antoine journeys through his first year of college with his best friend koke and receives more than he bargains for when he's invited to a frat party during the first week of school.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> so i wrote this and i blame the song 'shape of you,' by ed sheeran because it hypnotized the shit out of me and i'm in a mood to write
> 
> also: someone convince me not to write gallavich (ian/mickey). i totally binge-watched shameless and now i'm in love with those fucks.
> 
> p.s. excuse my lousy attempt at humor por favor. xx

moving into the dormitory was the least of young antoine's problems with more obvious one's being the cost of books and essentials since financial aid hadn't covered everything like he had originally hoped it would. he was beginning to think the idea of financial aid in general was flawed since it never seemed to fully do what it was meant to do, but whatever. 

  


one benefit of the dormitory was that he had luckily gotten to room with one of his best friends from high school who had apparently not even made it to the city yet. the university of madrid was known widely as a party school; there was never a weekend that didn't go by that there wasn't a party in full bloom, whether at the sororities or the fraternities. 

  


hell, he was more than certain that there would probably be a party in his dorm by the weekend if the students roaming the halls with streamers as well as other decorations was anything to go by. sure did make him feel welcomed but he knows for a fact that he would skip any type of gatherings until he was sure he would be able to pass the vast majority of his classes with at least sub-par grades; it wasn't like his mother or father were expecting him to be the next einstein or anything, though he would be letting his brother, theo, back home down.

  


deciding that koke, who was known to be late for everything, would more than likely arrive later on that night, he figures he would at least scope out the grounds before classes officially began within the next week. at least then he would be aware of his surroundings and possible shortcuts in case he ran into other freshman that were dumbfounded with the whereabouts of all the lecture halls. 

  


he manages to haul his suitcases upon the bed without menial effort then proceeds to leave the room, locking the door tightly behind him. audible whoops and boisterous laughter fill the halls as other students stride down the halls with cases of various alcohol, to which his brows shoot up at; definitely a party scheduled.

  


the blond shoves his hands deep within his pockets as he attempts to meander down the hall without getting in the way of the rowdy boys still cheering and yelling back and forth, at least until one with a heavy keg knocks him against the wall, coincidentally knocking the wind out of him too.

  


"fuck, freshman, my bad." the brunet manages to settle the keg upon the ground then proceeds to scratch bashfully at the back of his head, an apologetic grin gracing his lips. "these hallways are dangerous, y'know, you really gotta watch out unless you wanna be knocked out by a keg or something."

  


feeling a little disoriented, the blond can only nod in response, leaning back against the wall with palms flat against the surface to steady himself. the brunet reaches out abruptly to assist him, holding onto his upper arms until he feels relatively stable, azure eyes glancing up to stare at the impossible tall man before him.

  


what he notices first are the freckles that are speckled across the expanse of his skin; they're seemingly on every inch of his skin and he finds himself following the scattered trail until they disappear at the 'v' of the brunet's shirt. what he doesn't notice is the brows raising in acknowledgement or the way those lips twist upward into a small, smug smirk.

  


"like what you see, freshie?"

  


it's then that his eyes return to stare into the warm, chestnut gaze of the elder boy. he flushes a deep scarlet, attempting not to nibble at his lower lip like he tends to do when he's nervous, and instead tilts his chin up in challenge. "who says i'm a freshman?"

  


amused chuckles emanate from the taller boy, placing a hand above his head on the wall, leaning forward into antoine's space. "like it wasn't obvious before you tried to be a cute little smartass?" teases the spaniard with a playful laugh, surveying the expanse of the younger's countenance.

  


sighing, the blond only nods softly, shrinking into himself a bit. "it's the cheeks, isn't it?" he absently rubs at the reddened skin and pouts, huffing as he does so.

  


"it's your everything, really, but i like it. s'cute." hums the elder, pausing momentarily. "actually, you're cute. in a general sense."

  


"oh, yeah?" he's unable to resist the urge to nibble on his lower lip any longer and does just that, tugging on the skin as he stares into those pools of chocolate. "i mean, uh—i didn't expect to get flirted with on my first day, let alone the first ten minutes of college."

  


something flickers across the spaniard's countenance but before the blond can question about why he was looking at him like that, the brunet perks up and straightens completely. "how about coming to a party my fraternity is having this weekend?"

  


"i don't know about that, i kind of wanted to avoid the drinking and partying until after i—i don't know."

  


shrugging as nonchalantly as possible, the brunet offers a broad grin. "well that sucks, i kind of really wanted you to come." with that the brunet hefts up the keg once more, adjusting it within his arms, before heading off in the direction of the others still yelling at the top of their lungs.

  


"shit, wait!" calls the blond as he gathers his bearings and presses off the wall, shouting to the jogging skyscraper going down the hall: "you didn't tell me your name?"

  


without pausing in his haste, the brunet can only shout back: "come to the party and find out!"

  


 

-

 

  


it turns out that koke, voted most likely to be late to their own funeral in high school, wouldn't arrive until two days before classes officially started. and, low and behold, he brings nearly the entirety of his house along with him. so, of course, he expects antoine to help him unload and load the multitude of boxes with permanent marker on them into the dormitory with not even a 'thank you,' after the trek was completed.

  


"i know the early bird catches the worm and all, but you could have just left when i did." murmurs the spaniard as he un-rolls numerous posters to stick to the plain, white wall of the room. "what about right here over the bed? seem like a good spot or—or how about right here?"

  


antoine, from across the small room on his bed, nods his head with a prompt roll of his eyes. "over the bed looks better, i think, that way you can wake up with anitta's tits in your face like you wish would happen in real life."

  


"hey, shut up, blondie." retorts the brunet, shooting the elder boy the middle finger. "you're right though, her tits are really nice. still find it weird you don't find them attractive, i mean—look at them, they're the things of beauty."

  


azures roll once more as he crosses his legs beneath him on the bed, fiddling with a hole in his old football shorts. "yeah, well. i still don't understand how you don't find claudio marchisio sexy."

  


koke raises a hand and tilts it this way and that, "i didn't say he wasn't attractive, i just wouldn't fuck him like you probably would."

  


antoine gathers one of the pillows from his bed and tosses it as hard as he can manage at the brunet still admiring the poster he had just put up, earning a rewarding yelp from the younger who rubs at his back. "whatever, man." he pauses for a moment, thinking, then exhales with a sigh. "so, i got invited to a frat party this weekend."

  


"oh hell yeah, that's what i'm talking about! how'd you manage that though? who's dick did you suck?" teases the younger with a devious wiggle of his brows, managing to dodge the incoming pillow this time.

  


"for your information, i haven't done that since i dated paul senior year." defensively states the petite blond as he shifts upon the bed until his socked feet are touching the carpeted floor. "but anyway, this tall guy almost killed me with a keg in the hall and i guess he invited me because he felt bad or something."

  


"first of all, ew." the younger boy crinkles his nose at the information before moving on with what he had to say: "second, it doesn't matter how we got invited, it only matters that we did. gimme a time so i can clear my schedule."

  


"you don't even have a sche—wait, what?" antoine's brows furrow tightly together as he stares pointedly at the younger boy who busies himself with carelessly depositing his clothing into the opened drawers of his dresser. "i wasn't even going to go, kokito."

  


"why the hell would you not wanna go? this school is literally known for the sickest parties and we got invited to one and now you're being like this about it? oh, c'mon." it's antoine's turn to throw up the middle finger now. "it'll be like motivation to do good the rest of the year and it'll be fun. just—you gotta come with me because i'm definitely going. can you imagine all the girls and, well, guys that are gonna be there?"

  


"actually, the guy that invited me.." trails off the blond with a tiny little grin tugging at his lips. this gains the interest of koke, who halts the tossing of his shirts to instead plop down onto his bed, motioning for him to continue. "he was hot as hell, didn't tell me his name though."

  


"then it's settled. we're definitely going, and you're definitely going to get laid. maybe then you'll be more laid-back and less stressed like you obviously are right now."

  


"yeah, but—"

  


"—unless you're taking it up the butt, i don't wanna hear it."

  


 

-

 

  


the first week of classes came and went much like the blond had expected them to. following the printed schedule he had made, since he knew that his memory would surely fail him, was probably one of the smartest ideas he had come up with in a long time. it was more than amusing, however, seeing koke breathing labored as he made his way across campus with a pencil clenched between his teeth as well as he backpack hanging off one shoulder.

  


surprisingly, or maybe not surprising at all, he hadn't seen the towering boy since that day he had nearly been crushed by that keg. not that he had been intentionally looking for the upperclassmen or anything because, really, he hadn't been, it's just—he may or may not have been enamored with the sound of his voice and not-so-desperately wanted to hear it again so he could commit it to memory.

  


antoine is currently poised in front of the microwave waiting on his pastry to heat up when koke strolls through the door with a towel wrapped snugly around his waist. "seriously? you were being serious? i thought we established that we, as in both of us, were going to that party tonight." 

  


"i saw the future in a dream the other night and i swear it said i was going to fail math, no i'm serious." reinstates the blond when the latter snickers in response, coining him a firm look.

  


"that was just a dream though, we both know if it wasn't for you, i wouldn't have even passed math senior year and i would've had to go to summer school or take the class over." reassures the younger with an adorable pout settling upon his lips, lashes fluttering prettily in an attempt to charm the blond.

  


"that was cute in middle school but it doesn't phase me now," mumbles the blond as the microwave finally dings signaling that his pastry was done. hesitantly he reaches within the warm machine to retrieve the pastry resting on a paper towel, hissing at the sting of the heat burning his fingers. "fuck, fuck, fuck."

  


"see? if we were already making our way across campus, that wouldn't have happened, would it?" whines koke as he drops his towel and makes his way towards the dresser, sifting through the clothes strewn about there and on the floor. 

  


"look, i'll go, okay? but i'm not gonna stay till three in the morning like you will and i'm not gonna get wasted on my first week either. i'll stay long enough until you're buzzed then drag you across campus so no girls get any ideas to take advantage of you," hums the blond with amusement dancing with his eyes.

  


"my hero."

  


 

-

 

  


college parties were nothing like the one's that kids around the block had in high school. usually it was in a moderately-sized house with parental supervision or the rare times when the parents were out of town and the teenagers had the house to themselves for the weekend. there would mostly only be beer, courtesy of fathers that revel in winding down after a hard day at work, with not much else other than the same old fruit punch at nearly almost every party.

  


this, however, was on a whole new scale.

  


the fraternity house, for example, was a lot bigger than he had assumed it would be. it stretched a great distance that he wasn't sure he could run without tiring out and was at least three stories high with almost every inch covered in christmas lights, which—why? christmas was at least four months away, so it was honestly a little out of place but he figures college students had to improvise on short notice.

  


there are groups of people clogging the front lawn of the home with red cups in their grasps, sipping and chatting loudly, some on the steps while others are posted against one of the two trees in the very front. koke, also known as the social butterfly, is occupying himself with hurrying into the building to find both a drink and a suitable dance partner presumably.

  


that, of course, leaves antoine at the open front door alone and without an accomplice in case he managed to spontaneously become timid and attempt the trek back across the campus to where their dormitories are located. he groans inwardly as he strolls through the threshold, immediately assaulted by the heavy scent of alcohol stinging his nostrils, as well as the very pungent scent of weed wafting about, encompassing him much like a cloud. 

  


as soon as he walks in, however, he notices that the bulk of the party had to be raging exclusively on the first floor. so he squeezes in between the numerous gyrating bodies dancing to some techno beat in an attempt to find a drink that he would surely need to survive the night. in doing so, he manages to stumble upon an intense game of beer pong, huddling against one of the walls nearby to watch.

  


when one of the players, apparently named neymar, manages to perfectly bounce the ball into the cup, the crowd around him cheers loudly and claps him on the back. the hazel-eyed boy snags up the cup and down its rapidly, not pausing once for breath, head tilted all the way back until he slams the flimsy cup back onto the table with a victorious whoop into the air.

  


he snorts his amusement as another player steps forward in an attempt to play when he's abruptly thrust forward in front of the ping pong table where the next kid was supposed to be. he squeaks, clearly startled by the push, glancing backwards to find the perpetrator is the nameless freckled boy with a broad smirk tugging at his lips.

  


"freshman, freshman, freshman!" the freckled boy begins to chant, eventually garnering the attention of the others who increase the volume of the chant.

  


"i-i've never actually played before," starts the blond as he pleads to the taller boy who offers him a playful wink in response. "fuck, okay."

  


the voice inside of his head tells him to man up, steel his balls, and to just get it over with. because he could do it, at least the more confident part of his brain shrieks. he was going to impress the smirking boy to his left and show him that not only could he handle a game of skill, but that he could also chug down the beer within the cup afterward.

  


tense as ever, the blond catches the tiny ping pong ball that one girl randomly tosses him, then he closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. the cups are in a messy triangular shape, sporadically placed around the broadness of the table. he glances about for the easiest cup he could possibly bounce the ball into and tells himself that he would get it in because—because, fuck, he just would.

  


antoine bends his neck this way and that, sighing at the satisfying pop it makes, then readies his stance. everyone around him seems to hold their breath as he hesitantly releases the ball so it bounces upon the table, and bounce it does. once, twice, thrice, and then finally it manages to find one of the cups off to the right side of the table in some miraculous twist of fate.

  


and, honestly, he's so surprised that his eyes are wide even as the crowd cheers and pushes forward to lift him up; something about freshmen and their natural ability to score at the game being a gift. but all the blond can do, other than grin like a moron, is search the crowd for the freckled boy and he finds him easily. he's posted against one of the pillars, leaning casually against it, nodding his head in the direction of a hallway that he turns to walk down.

  


"pass me the cup," he requests from one of the girls lingering by the table in a too-tight crop top, the blonde grinning at him and handing it off toward someone else who manages to get the cup to him; most of it sloshes out, however, due to the forced thrusting of the group. 

  


somewhere between now and then he manages to return to his feet, a variety of hands ruffling his locks as well as a few girls giving him victory kisses. he feels light, almost airy, as he meanders through the throng of people toward the corridor he had seen tall and freckled go down. he takes measured sips as he walks, narrowly missing a couple making out in a corner, having to excuse himself in a stuttered mess.

  


somehow he finds one of the many doors opened to reveal the sight of the boy sitting on one of the beds with a blunt rolled up and resting between his lips, lifting a finger to beckon the boy in. and without much resistance, like being pulled by an invisible string, antoine enters the room and closes the door quietly behind him.

  


"here i was getting worried you weren't gonna show, but look at you. won your first game of beer pong and became the freshman prodigy of the year, i gotta say.. i'm sure as hell proud." he tucks one leg beneath him on the bed, taking a drag from the blunt then offering it to antoine once the blond sits down.

  


"are you going to make me ask for your name?" begins the blond with a narrowed gaze as he politely declines, waving his red cup in the air.

  


nameless and hot just smirks to himself for a moment as he takes another drag then releases a few spirals of smoke. "fernando," and the 'o' is somehow the most perfect circle spiral he had ever seen.

  


"fernando," repeats the frenchman in a wistful tone as he takes another sip of his beer.

  


"i like the way your mouth looks when you say my name like that." teases the elder male with a soft chuckle as he shifts to face the younger directly, reaching out to peel the cup from his fingers. he takes a sip, eyes watching antoine carefully, before gulping deeply. "what was that you said about partying again?"

  


antoine snorts then snatches the cup back, frowning when he sees that it's pretty much empty, save for maybe a drop left at the bottom. "see what you did? this is why i don't go to parties, there's always that one guy that steals my beer."

  


"do you always meet guys like me at parties then?" curiously inquires the spaniard with a quirked brow, "because if you do, i sincerely apologize on my behalf."

  


"i've had my fair-share," admits the blond with a scarlet flush as he glances about for a place to dump his cup, ultimately climbing up the expanse of the bed to discard it on the nightstand. "it's nothing i can't handle, i guess."

  


fernando, humming contently, follows the younger's lead and climbs up the bed so his back is plastered against the headboard. "popular with the boys then, yeah?" before antoine can open his mouth to make a humble response, the brunet beats him to it: "that was rhetorical, i can tell you are."

  


antoine shrugs halfheartedly, "why do you say that?"

  


"you're cute." offhandedly comments the elder as he takes another drag, "s'probably because you say things like that and play up the whole innocent act. got a name to that pretty face or should i just call you sunshine?"

  


"oh, fuck. antoine, i'm antoine. or ant or anything, really, just not sunshine." bashfully pleads the younger with a tiny upward curve of his lips.

  


"sunshine it is."

  


scowling, the blond glances toward the elder, who is broad smirking around the blunt still resting between his lips. music continues to echo from the poster-clad walls as the freckled man stares down at him, dark eyes flickering back and forth from azure eyes and then down to thin, inviting-looking lips that pout beneath the fervor of attention. unconsciously the blond squirms beneath the heat of the latter's gaze, tongue making an appearance to swipe along his lower lip, eyes reluctantly averting to gaze toward the door. 

  


he makes to move away from the bed but it abruptly stopped by an arm pushing him down against the mattress. it takes the breath out of his lungs, honestly, as he lays there while the elder straddles his waist and stares down at him. fernando takes another leisurely drag from the blunt, this time holding the smoke in, leaning downward with fluttering eyes as he presses his lips against antoine's. not one to usually smoke anything, let alone weed, the blond can only sharply inhale the smoke and splutter a few moments later much to fernando's amusement.

  


but he doesn't get to regain his breath nor composure for long because those lips are smashing back against his once more. one hand rests beside his head while the other still clings onto the worn-down blunt with the other, though antoine can only really force himself to concentrate on the feel of a warm tongue prodding against the seam of his lips, willing them to part before he delves within the moist cavern of antoine's mouth. 

  


he tastes of cheap beer and he can taste, as well as smell, the scent of marijuana clinging to the inside of his mouth but antoine doesn't mind it; he can't mind it, not when that tongue was doing expert things to his own, teeth sinking down to capture his lower lip then soothing it with a few, choice laps of his sinful tongue. 

  


antoine isn't certain about what to do with his hands and it wasn't like he was a puritan that had never had sex or anything of the like, but it had been so abrupt and he wasn't even sure if the kid above him was sober enough to even being doing what he was—damn, damn, damn. those lips abandon his leaving them wet and shiny as he instead redirects his attention to the pale expanse of the younger's neck to place fervent kisses there. 

  


"this okay, 'toine?" murmurs the elder against the base of his throat where he can physically feel the younger's adam's apple bobbing apprehensively.

  


"little too late to be asking that, isn't it?" but the way his body unconsciously angles into the contours of fernando's body tells the elder everything he needed to know; because consent had to be given regardless of the ardor that the blond returns, it was the right thing to do.

  


fernando chuckles deep in his throat, the vibrations sending tremors throughout the entirety of antoine's form, leaving him trembling beneath the elder as he slinks a hand around his body to forcefully yank at the wispy hairs at the back of his neck. "damn, i like you." he states firmly with a broad grin as he leans across the length of the bed to dab out the blunt, discarding it within an ashtray.

  


"please shut up?" pleads the blond as he wraps his thighs securely around the elder's middle, using the muscles to tug him back down to encase his body with an electrifying warmth once more.

  


"are you in a position to be making demands right now?" ponders the brunet aloud as he squeezes a hand between their tightly locked forms to palm at the younger's half-hard cock through the snugness of his jeans. and, yeah, the kid wasn't proud of the keening noise he releases at the palms gripping him so tightly around his cock.

  


antoine bucks into the hand rubbing him through the material of his jeans, head thrown back against the pillows; maybe it was because it had been so long since he had experienced the sensations riling throughout his system, that or fernando knew exactly how to tease and toy with every button his body had. either way he revels in the contented hums spewing from the elder as he works the fastenings of his garments, tugging them gingerly down his milky thighs despite the passion of the situation at hand, tossing them halfheartedly toward the nightstand to the right.

  


 

-

 

  


waking up to the sound of laughter coming from all around him was something new, mused the blond, as he roused within the satin-feeling sheets to stretch. blinking awake, he comes to the realization that he mostly certainly was not tucked away in his dorm room, which would have came as a surprise if he didn't recognize the scent of alcohol wafting about the room like some type of exotic air freshener. 

  


fingers unconsciously reach out to the other side of the bed but ends up fisting nothing but the sheets. he released an outstretched yawn, hidden behind a fist, as he shifts to find the other side of the bed was in deed empty; only wrinkles of a body once there left behind. antoine sits up, crossing his legs beneath him, as he registers exactly where he was; oh, yeah, that's right. the stupid frat party that his overzealous friend koke had convinced him to attend.

  


expensive cologne clings to the sheets as he brings them up to wrap around himself, burying his nose in the material and inhaling deeply. it was a scent he already found himself getting used to, which meant bad news as always, especially when he was pretty certain that last night was nothing more than one night stand because he didn't expect anymore than that from a frat boy.

  


casually slipping into the room with a melodic whistle appears fernando with a pair of sweats loosely hanging off his narrow hips, chest bare and exposing a few scratches here and there along the otherwise smooth skin. "for a second there i didn't even think you were alive," teases the brunet as he jerks his head in the direction of the door he had just arrived in: "bros made breakfast, you want some? figured you worked up an appetite."

  


feeling somewhat bashful and honestly ashamed he had given it up so quickly after only meeting a week prior, the blond can only bury his face in the sheets once more. "yeah, just—lemme get my clothes."

  


fernando stands there a moment longer, running a smooth hand down the expanse of his bare chest, pausing to tug on the strings to tighten the sweats around his waist. "nah, don't worry about it." he moved a hand this way and that and instead motioned toward a dresser: "just wear something of mine, you can even keep it, if you want?"

  


antoine tears the sheets away, sort of missing the scent that clings to the fabric, to offer a soft nod. "will do, just gimme a minute."

  


" _cute_ ," offhandedly remarks the brunet as he takes in the sight of antoine's disheveled appearance; hair splayed this way and that in disarray with cheeks burning hot and stemming down the length of his neck to speckle across his chest.

  


it doesn't take long to sift through the clothing within the dresser; they all smelled remotely the same, a musk mixed with cologne spritzed on them for added effect. he chooses a simple, shrunken pink polo and a pair of loose shorts that do nothing to support his waist. deciding that the wooden floors outside of the room would more than likely chill the bottom of his feet, he decides to seek out the socks he had worn the night prior and tugged them.

  


the blond wanders aimlessly down the hallway, seduced by the scent of various breakfasts foods assaulting his senses, mouth watering and eyes widening in desire to ease the uneasiness within his belly. soon he stumbles upon an open area with lights shining almost too brightly on the ceiling, and it was filled with a multitude of shirtless as well as fully clothed men mulling about with girls clinging to their sides like a second skin.

  


fernando is upon one of the counters sipping absently at a bottle of water when he spots the blond, motioning him over with a broad grin. "the guys decided on half-assed eggs and pancakes this morning, they can't really make anything else."

  


antoine catches a paper plate that one of the many boys around tosses him, glancing about the counter-top at the foods there. "sort of figured not to expect a five-star buffet," murmurs the blond in retort, lips quirking upward despite himself.

  


easily he gathers up a decent amount of scrambled eggs and then piles two pancakes onto his plate. when he moves to reach for a pitcher of whiskey-colored liquid, what he could only assume to be tea, he was abruptly halted by a strong hand around his wrist. "yeah, no. don't think you could handle more of that this morning, how about some orange juice or something other than cris' potent mix of—well, whatever his morning mix is this morning."

  


someone around them groans at the admittance, strolling forward to slink an arm around antoine's shoulder. "don't let nan here boss you around like that, you can handle whatever you think you can handle, right?" 

  


"fuck off, sergio, i'm trying not to scare him away." scoffs fernando as he retrieves a half-empty jug of orange juice, shaking it up as he returns to the counter, sliding it across the slick surface to the younger. "go on, drink up."

  


"he might be my freshman recruit this year," sergio states with a broad grin as he offers the blond a firm patting on the back: "think he could survive rush week?"

  


the blond pours himself some orange juice into a red cup he had retrieved from a stack in the center of the counter, halfheartedly paying attention to the two men speaking. "i don't think a fraternity is for me, honestly." admits the younger with a small frown, "not really my thing plus i'm here on a scholarship so i really gotta focus. this was more or less my one-off for the semester."

  


"what a nerd," sneers another guy from around the circular island, though there's nothing by amusement glittering within his irises. 

  


"no, hey, we're not pressuring you." fernando defends, coining the kid who just spoke the middle finger. "it's just, it can be fun, parties and shit aside. we do other stuff, too, like fuck with the sorority girls and they do the same to us."

  


"s'pretty cool in my opinion," echoes sergio as he chances a gamble with the dark colored liquid within the pitcher, nearly choking as he swallows the overly bitter substance, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand. "did anyone ask cris what the hell he put in the mystery juice this morning?"

  


one kid, who introduces himself rapidly as james, slips into the kitchen to pick at some of the eggs displayed on a porcelain plate. "hey new kid, m'james, and uh—i think he said something along the lines of 'you don't wanna know,' so i don't really think you should ask."

  


this was something entirely new to antoine, much like everything revolving around college life, but definitely not unwelcome as he curiously watches the exchange. of course he knew that fraternities were sort of a big deal around campus, as well as the sororities for girls, but he hadn't honestly thought it would be so similar to how it was painted in the movies or even rom-com television series he would often watch throughout the summer when nothing better was on.

  


azure eyes travel to the giant clock that ticks on the wall beside an old-fashioned phone hanging beside it; it was relatively early in the morning, all things considered, at about eleven forty-five. he hisses at the time and rapidly wipes his greasy hands on the back of the borrowed shorts he adorned, casting an apologetic glance at fernando, who eyes him with a somewhat prideful grin on his lips.

  


antoine awkwardly clears his throat, interrupting the bickering between the boys roaming about, all eyes seeming to fall on him imploringly. "i forgot about my roommate, i left him alone last night, so i should probably go back to my dorm to make sure he's okay. thanks, guys, for the welcome but i really gotta go and make sure he's not passed out by the door without a key."

  


fernando is shoved by sergio, who wiggles his brows playfully, before shoving him once more toward the frenchman still lingering by the kitchen island. "how about i walk you to the door then? y'know, play campus security for a minute."

  


"sure, yeah."

  


-

  


needless to say, the stroll across campus was probably the worst thing about his morning so far. pain began to register in his lower limbs, particularly concentrated where his ass was located, more than a little sore from the night before. at least he didn't have a noticeable limp, mused the frenchman, as he manages to sober up a little in the crisp morning air; it was a beautiful day, really, with leaves blowing in the wind and the sound of chatter coming from near the giant water fountain in the center of campus.

  


so maybe the walk wasn't so bad, if he were being honest, but he was honestly still in denial about the night before so everything seemed a little foreign and out of the ordinary for the moment currently. could he really blame himself for sleeping with one of the resident frat boys that probably fucked on a near-daily basis? he winces outwardly as he continues to stroll, finally reaching the dorm with his designated number on it, walking quietly down the corridors until he reaches the front door.

  


a pair of brass keys are hanging precariously from the door lock and he wonders thoughtlessly how the hell koke had managed to forget them like that. gratefully there didn't seem to be any other entry other than the younger who had crashed near his un-made bed roughly five feet away, and honestly, antoine can't fight the smile that spreads across his face that he had at least made the effort to attempt to get into bed safely.

  


so what if he slams the door shut a little harder than necessary? it has the desired fact of startling the younger man on the floor who rolls sluggishly to the side, shielding his eyes from the overhead lights once the blond flickers them on. "shit, fuck, dammit—ant, 'toine, why? it burns, please stop, turn them off~" whines the brunet currently writhing on the floor, pretending he was melting beneath the harsh lights.

  


"i knew going to that party was a stupid idea," snickers the blond as he oversteps the brunet to find the kitchenette to pour some tap water into a clear glass, returning to the area near the bed to offer it to the younger. when he doesn't take it right away, the blond offers his side a light kick, effectively gaining his attention: "hold on, lemme get a pill or something. what would you do without me, kokito?"

  


"maybe actually get some sleep," grumbles the younger as he uses one palm to situate himself into a sitting position: "i was fine until you came rushing in here like that police and slamming doors and shit."

  


antoine shrugs halfheartedly when he returns from invading the medicine cabinet in the bathroom and drops two little pills into koke's awaiting palm. "drink up and i'll drag you across the room to your bed? i won't bother you the rest of the day, i just want you to take better care of yourself."

  


"says the one that didn't even come back last night, wait—wait a second." brown eyes narrow into accusatory slits, pausing a moment in his scowl to swallow the pills down and wash them down with the glass of water, before canting his head imploringly to the side. "we got there and i lost you, had no idea where you went. it was supposed to be our first party together and you bailed."

  


feeling a little weary, the blond wavers from side to side, sucking absently at his lower lip. "well, yeah. i sort of had to since you left me as soon as we got there, i was around though. i, um, i ran into that kid that invited me and, well." hands motion this way and that in an attempt to explain without really having to.

  


"so that's why you're glowing," awes the brunet with an owlish blink, registering the information, until a broad, lazy grin spreads across his lips. "only been here a week and you're already getting hot frat tail?"

  


ignoring the comment altogether, antoine decides to take the momentary pause in conversation to snatch away the glass of water in favor of settling it on koke's nightstand. "c'mon, big guy." he grunts as he slides an arm securely around the younger in an attempt to heft him up; and despite being relatively the same height, koke was a little heavier, which left the blond struggling.

  


but somehow he manages to get the brunet stumbling to his feet, attempting to regain his balance and composure with arms shooting out to steady himself. he begins to tilt to the side so antoine places both hands around him now to make sure he wouldn't go tumbling painfully down onto the carpeted floor. "i sort of have to pee, so if you would lead the way?"

  


"you're absolutely disgusting." 

  


"oh, please. it's a short walk to the bathroom and i really don't think i can make it by myself," there's an undertone of embarrassment laced within his tone, coughing awkwardly as he nods his head in the direction of the bathroom."

  


"you owe me so much for this."

  


nonetheless the kindhearted boy didn't have the heart to decline the request, so there he is hobbling with a grown man attached at the hip. it doesn't take long to reach the bathroom, though the pair had stopped multiple times to stabilize the swaying boy within his arms. once they reached the bathroom, however, antoine abandoned the boy by the toilet.

  


"me, door. just, uh, tell me when you're done?"

  


"i knew i made the right choice being friends with you," grins the brunet as he uses the wall behind the toilet as leverage to remain upright. "only be a minute, tops."

  


hanging out in the door-frame in the early hours of the morning was definitely not something he had expected to do, much like everything else so far in his college career. he bites at the inside of his cheek nonchalantly as the spaniard hums to some unknown song, all upbeat and cheerful despite practically melting into the floor before. 

  


 

-

 

  


it's the middle of the week on a wednesday and days had gone by without so much as seeing the tall, freckled form for fernando milling about. like he had originally thought, it was nothing more or less than a simple one-night stand. it didn't warrant a relationship let alone a friendship and the quicker than antoine realizes that, the better of course. it wasn't like he had expected a stable relationship and boyfriend from that heated night, well, maybe.

  


it didn't keep him up at night or anything stupid like that, so at least it wasn't affecting his daily life. it was early in the afternoon when he arrives to the lecture hall filled with mostly freshmen students for a lesson mathematics and, much to his dismay, he catches sight of a sturdy figure at the front of the room with a headset attached to his head with his back turned to the expanse of the board.

  


the usual professor, a stocky sort of man with thick-rimmed glasses, is presumably speaking to him and pointing toward the note-cards within his stubby hands. just when he thought that he could forget that shameless night, he shouldn't known that things would never work in his favor, even if he did sort of have a one-sided crush on the brunet.

  


koke, who had decided upon afternoon classes with a little insistence from antoine, motions him toward where an empty seat was next to him. there's a tape-recorded setting on the edge of the desk, ready to record whatever the lecture had to offer at a moment's notice. he had a pen between his lips as well as a notebook already filled with doodles on the surface of the desk before him, spitting the pen out of his mouth once the blond sits down.

  


"woke up and saw a ghost or somethin'?" regards the spaniard as he leans casually back in his seat, absently flicking the pen back and forth upon the notepad.

  


"more like fernando," when dark brows raise in question, the blond jerks his head in the direction of the freckled man writing down formulas in a neat scrawl upon the board. 

  


"oh! ohh.." koke nods slowly in understanding, leaning forward onto his desk as if trying to get a better look at the guy. "meh. i like to think a fine guy like myself would've been more your type, y'know, the boy next door kinda type. not the armani model type."

  


"what made you think, out of all the people in the world, you were my type?" antoine teases halfheartedly, earning himself a rough yet playful shove; the two errupt in a fit of snickers as they settle properly into the seats.

  


fernando puts a cap on the dry-erase marker when his clutches and tosses it halfheartedly to the desk at the front of the room. dark eyes peruse the room and somehow, like the pull of a magnet, his eyes land and rest on antoine's form. a look of recognition lights those irises as he turns to the professor to presumably excuse himself because suddenly he's bounding up ample steps like an adonis to the row that antoine and koke are currently seated in.

  


"bright and early aren't you, sunshine?" fernando's attentions are predominantly on antoine, though he does spare a glance at koke, offering him an acknowledging nod of his head in his direction. "this your boyfriend or something?"

  


"if i wasn't so straight, i probably would be his boyfriend, actually." states koke, eyeing the older boy with a narrowed gaze, attempting to intimidate him in case he needed to intervene between them in the near future. "i'm koke," he extends a hand despite the initial coldness.

  


"i don't know about that," retorts the brunet, earning an amused snort from antoine, dark eyes brightening considerably at the sight. "is that your real name or—?" seemingly offended by the laughing blond, the boy can only sink further down into his chair wearing a full-on pout. "okay.."

  


"what are you? a teacher's assistant?" antoine inquires with a curious cant of his head, quirking a brow when the elder doesn't answer straight away.

  


"pretty much, yeah. make good grades and suddenly the school is making you do things like this," he shrugs halfheartedly though a smile lingers upon his lips. "guess it's not so bad since you're officially my student for the day."

  


grinning to himself, the blond nods slowly, nibbling at his lower lip. "guess so, yeah. just don't make me ask for extra credit or anything."

  


"you don't have to ask." winks the elder, quickly checking the expensive-looking watch strewn around his wrist. "class is in session, i gotta go. y'know, down there, still here though."

  


antoine doesn't breathe a word as the brunet excuses himself to bound down the steps to return to the desk once more where he hears the sound of the headset come to life, hearing the elder's voice testing out the microphone in the process. beside him, koke is staring at him, amusement lurking within his eyes as he shifts his gaze to the notebook in front of him. he turns the page to present himself with a fresh, clean writing surface to write on.

  


"i'm so embarrassed for you right now."

  


" _shut up_ ," 

  


once the lecture had started, however, all the playfulness within the blond's form seemed to seep away with every exhaling sigh he made. math definitely wasn't one of his strong suits but there was something so fascinating in how fernando would explain the steps he was taking, writing majority of everything down onto the board in his effortless scrawl. 

  


something about the movements of his hand moving this way and that transfixed him as he glanced back and forth between the board, the brunet, and the half-covered page he was currently working on. maybe fernando was a good teacher, maybe he wasn't, but either way the blond finds himself somehow comprehending everything the freckled man way saying, well—more like purring.

  


so, fuck.

  


never once in his entire life had he heard someone sound so sexy talking about a multitude of formulas that were none of the sort. not like he could imagine someone with the intellect of, say, einstein sounding even relatively attractive to how fernando was sounding right now. like he was breathing life into the equations he was speaking so adamantly about, the professor nodding his head and making comments when necessary.

  


all too soon it was wrapping up and coming to an end leaving antoine with the world's most awkward boner pulsing within the confines of his jeans. koke stretches with an outstretched yawn, arm's reaching high above his head, shirt riding up at the bottom to expose bits of his sculpted abdomen. he offers a perplexed glance to antoine, who smiles reassuringly, motioning for him to go to his next class and that he would catch up later.

  


deciding there was about fifteen minutes to spare between the end of this class and the start of his next, the blond deflates entirely and forms a barricade with the use of his arms to bury his flaming face into. despite previous reservations about einstein, he attempts to think about the crazy-haired man instead of broad grins and freckled skin, not that it helps.

  


because a pair of hands are suddenly gripping onto his shoulders, offering them a warm squeeze, kneading the tense muscle there. "i told you to go, koke, we don't even have the same class next."

  


"oh, ouch. is that who you wanted it to be?" fernando sounds appalled and quite honestly offended as he removes his hands from antoine's shoulders as if singed by just the touch alone. 

  


never had antoine snapped around so rapidly before in his life, nearly giving himself whiplash in the process. his hand rubs anxiously at the back of his neck as he stares up at the man towering above him, offering him a startled smile. "just, uh, just wasn't exactly expecting you is all."

  


"you know everyone left, right? lecture hall is over for now and you should be getting to your next class unless you stayed behind for a reason..?" fernando's voice trails off suggestively, quirking an inquisitive brow.

  


antoine laughs heartily at that then winces when his cock throbs at the sound of fernando's voice alone. "i sort of had an issue, but, uh i'm good now. so if you'd just move over?"

  


"math issue or—?"

  


"i sort of wanna rise and run, if that counts?"

  


fernando withholds the bubbles of laughter forming within his throat as he rests hands on the back of the chair to restrain himself even further. instead he clears his throat, trying to look as serious as possible, as he addresses the younger. "you mean you already rose in your pants, so now you wanna run away like some middle schooler with a boner from his english teacher?"

  


antoine studies the elder for a consider moment, pursing his lips defensively. "why so oddly specific?"

  


"don't change the subject. so what? into señor simeone? no hard feelings or anything from me, i think he's pretty popular with all the freshman." muses fernando aloud as he flickers his gaze from antoine's eyes, down to his lips, then finally down to rest at the obvious bulge within the younger's lap.

  


"i'm not really into the daddy type?" bashfully murmurs antoine as he scratches at his reddened cheek, as if he could will the coloration away.

  


fernando whistles then crosses his arms across his chest, "who then? me?"

  


"don't get all cocky."

  


"but am i wrong?"

  


"well, no, but—"

  


fernando raises a hand to silence him, interrupting with a smug smirk. "how about i suck you off and write you an excuse for your next class?"

  


"oh, yeah, okay. yeah, hell yeah." 

  


 

  


-

 

  


it's friday afternoon, a little after three, and the pair of currently within the cafeteria with a plateful of food to share. it seemed the weeks would only gradually get tougher as school went on and new things were learned nearly everyday, which meant more focus, which meant more studying, which also meant not leaving and going out to any parties for the next few weeks if either could help it. 

  


koke dips one of the fries he has into the dollop of ketchup squirted out onto the plate, chewing it delicately and moaning as he savors the flavor. he plucks up another from the pile and offers it to the older boy, twisting and turning it before his mouth, until finally antoine parts his lips to nibble at it.

  


"what's got you so chipper this week?" koke asks as he occupies himself with decorating his burger with an abundant amount of ketchup.

  


antoine doesn't speak at first, instead thrusting a decent amount of fries into his mouth, needing any type of assistance to refrain from answering the question. of course it doesn't go unnoticed by the spaniard, who quirks an impatient brow, snatching the plate away and cradling it to his chest to prevent any further distractions.

  


"please don't make me tell you," pleads the blond as he buries his face within his hands, groaning deeply within his throat.

  


interest piqued, the brunet leans across the table, tugging at the hands currently shielding antoine's face. "oh, c'mon. you tell me everything and i tell you everything, so this time isn't any different. unless you want me to tell you about the time saul got drunk and tried to suck my dick?"

  


"oh my go—okay, fine." koke motions for him to continue the story with a shit-eating grin upon his lips. "i think i have some sort of, i dunno, friends with benefits type of relationship or something with fernando."

  


"it hasn't even been an entire month yet and you already have a fuck-buddy? tell me again, weren't you the one that nicknamed me whore-hey back in high school?" it's all in goodhearted fun, of course, but the frenchman still cringes at the words regardless as he shifts his face down toward the table.

  


"to be fair, next week makes it a month?" pipes the frenchman defensively as he adjust the backpack upon his shoulders for lack of anything else to do. 

  


"excuses, excuses, excuses." scolds the younger as if he were the older, wiser one instead of antoine. "well anyway, i don't care about that. he treats you well, right? and, with as little details as possible, is he good at—well, y'know."

  


talk about awkward conversations with your best friend. "i don't think i'd still be doing it if he wasn't.. like wednesday when i stayed after for the lecture, he took me to the professor's office and blew me."

  


"look at you, getting it on with your kinky self. i could never do that, i'd be too scared to get caught, but i mean.. kudos to you for getting freaky in the professor's office, whatever tickles your fancy, i guess?" koke looks torn between being increasingly disappointed as well as entertained beyond words, but he rapidly changes the subject regardless. "anyway, how'd you do on the test in lit earlier today?"

  


relaxing more into the conversation, antoine shrugs a nonchalant shoulder. "i guess i didn't do as bad as i expected i would considering i managed a seventy-seven, but i gotta do better if i expect to keep my grants and scholarships."

  


"after the hell of high school, you'd think college would've given us some kinda break, especially since we're only pretty much a month into classes." koke murmurs with a prompt roll of his eyes, fishing for another fry and pressing it to antoine's lips once more: "open up."

  


when he happily obliges, he locks eyes with fernando from across the cafeteria, lounging on top of the tables with a group of his friends. those dark brows furrow as they stare at him, lips parting for a moment before firmly closing shut. one of his friends nudge him, garnering his attention, so he glances away but looks back half a heartbeat later to cant his head at antoine. the blond decides to ignore the peculiar expression that lingers upon the elder's countenance and instead munches on the fry presented to him, features wistful as he revels in the sensational taste. 

  


"college is supposed to be a step-up from high school so i don't even know what you were expecting from it," finally replies the frenchman as he abruptly removes his backpack to place it on the table, dumping out a few books as well as a notebook. "but anyway, i sort of need your help with something from my class thursday. i was gonna ask you about it when i got home from my classes then but you spent all night in the bathroom."

  


"before you ask, no. no i was not jerking off that long in the shower, i honestly think i fell asleep." that makes the blond chuckle, "no i'm serious. i'm already so exhausted and wore out that i would definitely quit if my parents weren't giving all they had for me to come here."

  


"better education, better life. isn't that what your mom said before we left to come here?" koke nods with a small smile on his face as he leans across the table to peer at the barely comprehensible scrawl of antoine's notes.

  


koke blanches, staring blankly at the blond, completely expressionless. "do you really expect me to get whatever the hell it is that you wrote here? because i don't understand a thing right now."

  


  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> feedback ? c:


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so i sort of roughly edited this a bit ? hope it's okay ? <3

  


  


saturday morning is a bright day, as per usual, the sun centered high in the sky already even if it was only an hour after twelve. the air was moist and humid and those fluttering around the campus grounds were dressed as if it were hottest day on the planet. which, honestly, judging by the thin t-shirt antoine adorned, he couldn't disagree since he was nearly drenched in sweat beneath the sweltering rays of the sun.

  


one leg is tucked beneath him on the stone edge of the fountain while the other hangs a few inches from the well-maintained grass below. there are other people around the circular shape of the fountain but neither him nor them were speaking to each other, instead more immersed in whatever studies they were currently working diligently at.

  


azure eyes stare down at the notes covering the entire page within the notebook balanced within his lap. the first official test of the school year in math would be on wednesday, so he was adamant about studying the many formulas that were presented to him. he tries to ignore the thought that that would more than likely be the next time he would see fernando since the muscular boy would be assisting the professor yet again, perhaps for the next few weeks; or maybe the full year, who knows, though he knows he couldn't possibly pass if that were the case.

  


koke had accompanied him at first but had left about ten minutes in when a few boys and a lone girl had strolled by to snatch him up, and the blond hadn't complained about his abrupt absence, more or less proud that the friendly spaniard had managed to meet new people. unlike antoine who mostly kept to himself, that is; unless you counted the frat boys and sorority girls that seemed to know his name or more specifically the nickname 'sunshine.'

  


it was time to get fucking serious, the voice at the back of the blond's head states firmly, though antoine finds himself detached from the work presented to him. there, across the campus, he spots fernando with a curvy girl clutched to the side of his body. the freckled boy looks content enough if the expression on his face was anything to go by, the raven-haired girl giggling and whispering who-knows-what into his ear.

  


soon a girl saddles up beside antoine and awkwardly clears her throat in the process. it garners the blond's attention, however, and he's grateful for the distraction. "oh, hey, sorry. zoned out, i guess."

  


"oh, no, it's okay. i didn't mind, honest." her voice is light, airy, and almost as warm as her chocolate eyes. "i think you're in my math class and i was just wondering if you had all the notes since i missed class last week."

  


unconsciously the blond shifts to offer the notebook to the brunette, who grins broadly at him, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "they're not the best notes and my handwriting is kinda bad, i think, but if you need me to clarify something you can just ask. i promise i won't get offended?"

  


the girl just giggles in response as she graciously accepts the notebook, setting it in the small space between them so she can copy them. "i'd prefer this to the chicken scratch professor simeone writes on the board." she glances up through her lashes, nothing flirtatious about it, and smiles. "i'm erika by the way, i figure i should introduce myself if i'm going to be bumming notes off of you."

  


"it's all good in the hood, i don't mind." for once since the day began, he had a genuine smile upon his lips, the all-around aura of the brunette lightening his mood drastically. "i'm ant—"

  


"—sunshine, yeah, i know." teases the brunette, eyes crinkling at the corners in amusement.

  


antoine buries his face into his hands, groaning deeply in response to the statement, mentally regretting meeting up with the brunet. except he didn't, not really, because it was quite possibly the best sex he had ever had and he wasn't going to let it go that easily. jeez, that sounds terrible, internally muses the blond. is this what koke meant when he had mumbled something along the words of 'dick-whipped,' the night prior?

  


"that's not actually my name," defends the blond with a childish pout gracing his lips, crossing his arms over his chest, absently wiping at the droplets of sweat gathering in the crook his elbows.

  


"i know that, too, antoine." erika is nice enough, the blond deems, and he enjoys her company so there's that.

  


this time when he glances back up at the towering frame of the spaniard, he locks eyes with him and time seems to freeze in place. the overly-friendly girl beside antoine continued her aimless chatter, grinning to herself, as she continues to take down the notes but the frenchman isn't paying the attention that he should be. once more a peculiar expression settles upon the brunet's countenance, one that the blond still can't quite place, leaving him quirking a brow in inquisition. 

  


almost as if taking that as a cue to come over, fernando does just that, leaning down to whisper something to the girl that was with him. she seems to brush it off and instead walks down the path toward one of the science buildings, leaving the brunet to fend for himself. it doesn't take long for him to reach the fountain where antoine currently resided, adjusting against the hard stone of the edge, trying not to make direct eye contact with the older boy.

  


immediately taking note of the notebooks filled with mathematical equations, fernando's interest is piqued as he plops down next to antoine. his long limbs are outstretched before him, palms resting against the hard stone of the fountain edge. "you weren't kidding when you said you were only at college to study and nothing more, huh?"

  


antoine, despite himself, feels a smirk twitching at the corners of his mouth. erika, a little stunned by the exchange, watches the two carefully and curiously as she manages to multitask between jotting down useful information and keeping an eye on the two males. "some of us actually care about our grades, hard to believe, huh?"

  


"some of us don't have to try as hard as others," teasingly retorts the elder boy as he glances in the direction of the brunette: "hope i'm not interrupting your study date, erika." 

  


seemingly surprised by the admission of her name, erika blushes deeply and shrugs a shoulder. "don't worry about it, i just needed to borrow his notes for a minute. this is our first time meeting each other actually."

  


"that's me, being a good samaritan." proudly states antoine, though his eyes never once leave the dark eyes of fernando, who states at him with a hint of amusement lurking within his irises. 

  


"wanna hang out or something after you're done here?" questions the spaniard with an arched brow, canting his head imploringly to the side; he looks sort of like a puppy actually, the gesture adorable and resembling one.

  


"i kind of have a mountain of laundry to conquer after this, no thanks to koke or anything. the little shit abandoned me to go join the tennis club or something." murmurs antoine, more to himself than aloud, fiddling anxiously with his thumbs. 

  


fernando isn't deterred in the least, however, just offering a nonchalant shrug of the shoulder. "why not bring your mountain over to the frat house then? most of the guys are out anyway looking for fresh meat to shamelessly harass and i figure i'll need a few beers in me before talking some freshmen into selling their souls to the fraternity for the next few years." 

  


to his side, erika nudges him none-too-subtly with her elbow, eyes locking for a considerate moment. there in her expression is a look that pretty much shrieks 'you better go, you adorable little fuck.' she jerks her head in the direction of fernando, still waiting for an answer, then widens her eyes comically because this was fernando and what fernando wanted, fernando damn well got.

  


"fine, i'll go, just— _laundry_ ," stresses the blond with a pointed look in fernando's direction.

  


 

-

 

  


take one look at the blond currently within the laundry with a freckled boy currently between his legs and ponder what the word naivety meant. it wasn't just reserved for teenage girls trusting older boys in high school to properly care for them even if it were painfully obvious they were probably fucking the whole cheer-leading squad. not that the blond hadn't known this would happen, in fact: he knew damn well what would happen once he agreed.

  


damp clothing was currently being tumbled around in the washing machine rhythmically, a type of friction that added onto the feel of fernando currently thrusting inside antoine's tight heat. if anything it heightens the experience as the blond sinks blunt nails into the back of fernando's neck as he struggles to remain upright without slipping of the bouncing machine supporting his form.

  


fernando doesn't allow a slip up, however, hands tight and firm in their haste to keep the younger secure and in place as he wantonly snaps his hips, reveling in the clench of antoine around his cock, gripping onto him as he slides out only to meet resistance when pumping back in a second later. teeth are clashing carelessly in an attempt to keep the other quiet, the sounds of frat boys stalking around outside the door, the unlocked wood the only barrier between getting caught.

  


the spaniard revels in the push and pull of antoine's body, getting lost in the heat and unbearably tight fit of him, grunting into his mouth as he releases a moment later. antoine still clings to the edge, however, but is eventually helped over the precipice by fernando's large hand tugging at his cock until he comes in the tight fist that doesn't relent until long after antoine is twitchy and oversensitive.

  


"this was supposed to just be a laundry trip," states the blond in a dreamy tone as he pants against fernando's chest, burying his face deep within the crook of the elder's perspired shoulder.

  


"two for one deal?" breathlessly laughs the spaniard as he shifts to reluctantly place the younger upon the tiled floor, steadying him as he does so: "see, look? we beat the clock, it'll be done in a minute and then we can put the clothes in the dryer."

  


not completely convinced by the words, the blond shifts from his position to glance at the washing machine, finding the time was slowly but surely winding down. despite the initial disappointment he has in himself, somehow he still manages to laugh out loud, brain still fuzzy and whirling about from their little rendezvous session. fernando joins in the laughter, too, shielding his smile with the back of his hand as he steps back a few steps to offer the younger some space to redress.

  


antoine winces uncomfortably at the slickness steadily beginning to seep down the back of his pants-leg, averting his gaze from prying eyes, awkwardly wavering from foot to foot in a feeble attempt to lessen the trickling sensation. "next time it's 'no glove, no love.'" murmurs the blond as he waddles over to open the dryer door.

  


"aye aye, el capitan." and the little shit even has the audacity to salute him, smug smirking playing upon the corners of his lips. when the blond immediately leans over to retrieve the damp clothing from the machine, broad hands are shamelessly gripping onto his waist once more, pulling his hips back against fernando's pelvis. "i better go get the glove of love then, huh?"

  


"i was sort of thinking of maybe taking a shower and then getting lunch since i forgot to get the toast from out of the oven on my way out—wait, ugh." inwardly groans the blond as he hunches over once more to get another armful worth of saccharine-smelling clothing, tossing them halfheartedly into the dryer door that fernando holds open, preventing it from swaying shut. "did i even _turn_ the oven _off_?" 

  


"do you not own a toaster like every other normal human being in the world?" flippantly responds the brunet as he uses one of his feet to capture one of the shirts that hadn't made it into the dryer, shaking it off inside the machine nonchalantly. 

  


antoine pauses, hands resting upon the opening of the machine, eyes narrowing at fernando. "i'm a college student, not a human atm."

  


silence drifts between the two while the frenchman works diligently to transfer the clothing from one machine to the other, stealing glances here and there at the spaniard as he does so. as always the brunet looks thoroughly amused with antoine, never once frowning at anything he has ever said. it made antoine come to the realization that maybe—just maybe, not even a complete maybe—fernando saw something in him; perhaps something more than casual sex in an office or the laundry room at the frat house.

  


it was a genuine smile, one that reached his chestnut eyes, the corners crinkling as an emphasis. if he kept smiling like that his face would be permanently stuck in the stupidly-wide cheshire expression. once the blond completed loading into the dryer, he straightens up with a satisfied hum, glancing up at the towering male who still has that idiotic smirk on his face.

  


"why are you staring at me like that?" and, yeah, he begins to waver self-consciously beneath the intensity of the stare because no one really looked at him like that—minus guys that were trying to seduce him into their beds.

  


"you're really cute," appreciatively remarks the spaniard as he reaches across the machine to input the right heat settings, the dryer roaring to life a moment later. antoine scoffs, rolling his eyes, as he makes to slide past the brunet. "no, seriously, i mean it. you're really, really cute."

  


"you say that a lot," offhandedly comments the blond as he navigates around the massive house to find the kitchen with a triumphant side-to-side tilt of his head. "i'm beginning to think it's the only words you know."

  


fernando nods in the direction of james and neymar casually conversing about who-knows-what at one of the many tables in the kitchen area. neither boy seems to acknowledge the appearance of the two, which is probably more or less beneficial to them both. the blond opens the refrigerator door to find something suitable to eat and comes across a container filled to the brim with spaghetti. he retrieves the container and probes the cabinets for silverware, the brunet assisting him with finding the right one, and slips it into the microwave to heat up.

  


"look at blondie, strutting around like he owns the place." pipes up the resident brazilian from the table where the duo are currently poised. there's a broad, dopey grin plastered across his lips as he sweeps his gaze between fernando and the blond and back. "i'm assuming the laundry thing went well, if the glow is anything to go by?"

  


james reaches across the table and smacks the brazilian across the head, hissing at him to shut up. "will you stop being annoying for five seconds?"

  


five seconds go by before the brazilian parts his lips once more, dodging the hands that shoot out towards him, gripping onto his wrists to prevent any further movement in his direction. "j-rod's just pissy because he thinks i'm gonna out us for watching through the crack in the door."

  


the raven-haired boy is practically fuming as he stands up abruptly, arms crossing his broad chest. "this is why i tell you to shut up, because you say things like that." he turns abruptly to face fernando and antoine, one choking on laughter while the other looks mortified. "look, i didn't. ney heard you guys and dragged me downstairs. i tried to maintain some decency but he's stronger than he looks for a stick-figure."

  


"fuck you," murmurs neymar with a pout, sinking further down into his seat, peering at james through his lashes like a petulant child.

  


the colombian's features soften minutely as he rounds the table to place his hands on either side of neymar's shoulders, offering them a warm squeeze, head nodding in the opposing direction. hazel eyes light up then in recognition, a brow quirking inquisitively. apparently the brazilian notices the proposal within dark hues because he's no sooner fumbling out of the seat and tugging the latter down the hallway, cackling along the way. 

  


the spaniard wolf-whistles at the two as they stroll away then immediately shifts his attentions to the blond beside him. azure eyes are wide and bewildered as he stares after the duo, brows furrowing tightly to form a crease in his forehead, before he finally gulps and glances up at fernando. so, yeah, he wasn't that ashamed of casually screwing someone but getting caught by none other than his 'brothers' was more than a little awkward.

  


fernando reaches a hand down to playfully ruffle antoine's disheveled blond locks, offering a reassuring twitch of his lips. "it's not the first time anyone's caught me in this house and it probably won't be the last," casually states the spaniard. "there's a 'no locked doors rule,' so it happens all the time. the guys and i are comfortable enough with each other so it's just not a thing. but hey, if you're embarrassed, i could work something out?"

  


"uh huh." still, the blond is timid and bashful about the subject, rubbing at his upper arm as he stares intently at the microwave until it finally dings that the meal is done. "it's just—i don't know how you're so cool about it all.."

  


for the first time since meeting the blond, fernando frowns, leaning across the counter on his elbows as he watches antoine stab aimlessly at the noodles. "stuff like that doesn't bother me, i guess." he snorts to himself, shaking his head. "my mom used to tease me about it, saying that being bisexual pretty much made me the free-spirit that i am." 

  


almost choking on a meatball, to which fernando gingerly pats his back at, antoine splutters and reaches for a red cup from the stack upon the counter. he gives himself time to recuperate by fishing through the fridge once more until he finds a new jug of juice near the bottom, quickly pouring himself a glass, swallowing it down in less than three gulps. 

  


fernando is still looking at him expectantly when he turns around, eyes narrowed curiously as he looks at him. "i didn't know you were bi, i just assumed you were gay, like—well, like me."

  


"yeah, yeah i get that. everyone sort of just assumes, so no harm here." he laughs lightheartedly: "i just don't want to limit myself with anything, y'know? i grew up thinking girls were hot and then i sort of realized that guys were hot, too, along the way and that's just how it is. not that my dad was proud of it or anything." 

  


antoine's brows furrow and he purses his lips into a frown. "what? your dad wasn't cool with it?"

  


another laugh spills from the spaniard's lips now, however, this one lacks humor and instead sounds a little pained. he runs fingers through his short-cropped locks for a considerate moment, the smile on his lips melancholy and forced, shaking his head solemnly. "papa torres was a devout catholic kinda guy and i wasn't the ideal little catholic boy after i came out—and i didn't even think it was that big of a deal but he did."

  


in an attempt to lighten the mood, antoine scoots closer to the elder, offering him the fork with tomato sauce and noodles wrapped around it. "to be fair, i couldn't picture you as an altar boy."

  


"me neither," snickers the spaniard as he parts his lips to allow the fork in, wrapping his mouth around it, sighing at the taste flooding his mouth. "fuck, that's good." he wipes his mouth on the back of his hand, offering a small smile. "no more sob-story bullshit, i packed it up and shipped it a long time ago."

  


antoine laughs at that then takes another forkful himself, chewing and swallowing completely, before speaking once more: "wanna, uh, wanna go do something while the clothes finish drying?"

  


"are you something?" teases the spaniard as he pushes the plate away in favor of bending down to place a warm, tender kiss upon antoine's lips.

  


"aww, fuck, aren't you two just the cutest?" cooed a voice from behind them, a dramatic hand slanting over his heart in the process. "if only i had my phone, you guys would be on my christmas card this year."

  


fernando sighs against antoine's lips and abruptly shifts to glare at the brunet, who defensively raises his hands before his chest, "what is it, rafa?" huffs the spaniard, not enjoying being interrupted in the slightest.

  


"if it wasn't for this obvious twink here, i'd think you were the one taking it up the ass with that grumpy attitude." rafinha snickers when he receives a middle finger in response: "but on a serious note, it's almost time for fubtol tryouts and coach told me to round-up up the cattle, so here i am." 

  


looking apologetic, the spaniard turns back to antoine, frowning once more. "fuck, i'm sorry." and he looks like he means it genuinely, leaning down to press an affectionate kiss to the younger's temple. "i'll see you around then? feel free to stay around as long as you want, the guys are nice for the most part?"

  


antoine only nods in response, absently brushing the pads of his fingers across the spot where the elder had just kissed him. it tingles a little beneath his touch, much like his lips do, and he can't hide the grin that spreads across his lips as he watches the two boys jog away presumably to tryouts. he stands there a moment longer, fingers tapping no particular rhythm against the counter, before pushing off in favor of checking the time on the dryer. 

  


 

-

 

  


the weekend goes by in a blink of the eye, in a literal sense of course, because the new week had already began. monday mornings by anyone's standards were awful for whatever unknown reason and it didn't hold much promise for the rest of the week. plus that meant the frenchman wouldn't lay eyes on one brunet in particular until wednesday when class started because the kid was practically non-existent otherwise.

  


not that antoine had attempted to seek him out inconspicuously or anything, except he had, but it was to no avail. one place the blond avoided was the frat house but only because he didn't desire seeming too desperate and starved for attention, even though he sort of was, but no one else needed to acquire that information or he would be permanently flushed a deep salmon pink. 

  


so he would find himself aimlessly strolling about the campus grounds for any sign of the brunet and once or twice might have thought he spotted him, but instead it was just another giant roaming about with the same hair color. if it wasn't for the fact that he knew that fernando attended school here, he would have assumed he was just a distant reverie that continued to evade him.

  


it was far too early to be awake that morning as he laid sprawled out in bed on his back, staring at the pitch black ceiling above. he shifts this way and that and even whispers koke's name into the darkness but he receives no answer in response, making him sigh deeply. when he reaches for his phone hidden beneath his pillow he comes to the realization that it was ten minutes past five.

  


and maybe he could have gone back to sleep if it wasn't for the ache within his boxers. it was times like these where he wished he would have remembered to ask fernando for his number so he could freely call or text him whenever his heart so desired.

  


as quietly as possible he slides his hand beneath the band of his boxers, the material rustling at the intrusion, the crinkling seemingly amplified in the silence of the room. he spares a glance over at koke's form and is unable to see him properly so he continues. he takes a deep breath and allows his eyes to flutter closed, mentally picturing fernando there with him in the bed.

  


his breath hitches at just the thought of pink lips wrapping around the reddened head of his cock, completely swallowing him down in one single move, throat tight and constricted around the thickness of him. he hisses through his teeth as he moves his hand up and down the length of his cock, back arching slightly into the fist his hand makes, hips rising slightly off the bed.

  


the sound of the movement from the bed nearby has him halting and he isn't sure if he's breathing so hard because of the adrenaline of being caught or because of the feel of his smooth hand picking up pace once more. then he hears a voice, one that startles him completely, making him practically melt into his bed sheets in dire humiliation.

  


"fuck, 'toine, can you not jack-off when i'm in the room? have the common courtesy to go to the bathroom like i do. god knows i don't want to think about your o-face or hear you when you—when you're done." koke's voice, laced thick with sleep, mumbles into the otherwise silent room.

  


antoine doesn't really know what to say or if he should even say anything at all but he eventually does in the form of an apology, "sorry.. it's just—i can't go back to sleep.."

  


koke makes an acknowledging sound in the back of his throat which is followed by the sound of rustling sheets once more. "maybe you should just try harder? to sleep, y'know, not anything to do with your dick, man. tell that thing to go to sleep, put a leash on it, whatever you have to do."

  


"tell my dick that," bashfully hisses the blond as he reaches for a pillow to possibly smother himself with. 

  


"that is officially the gayest thing you have ever told me to date and i can and will hold it against you in the future," cackles the younger as he shifts once more within his own bed. the spaniard groans deeply then moves against the carpeted floor towards where the light-switch is located, flicking it on and purposely avoiding gazing directly at antoine. "look, how about i leave you alone to finish or something?"

  


antoine removes the pillow from his face, taking in a deep breath, before glancing toward where koke stands with his back turned to him. "your voice sort of ruined it," meekly states the blond as he sits up and slides his legs across the bed until they touch the floor.

  


"and you sort of ruined this dream i had, but i guess we're even." koke, assuming it's fine to turn around, looks at antoine with an amused grin. "i'm not going to be able to go back to sleep, so you wanna go for an early jog around campus or something before classes start?"

  


wetting his lips, the blond nods slowly, rising from the bed and headed toward one of the dressers on his side of the room. the freshly washed clothes are resting haphazardly on the top of the dresser just waiting to be tugged on, so he randomly tugs up a pair of gray sweats along with a wrinkled old band tee to slip on. when he glances down to survey the sweatpants, he rolls his eyes at the noticeable bulge, but realizes that no one else was bound to be out this early and figures not to change out.

  


koke who takes an hour to do anything is still searching for a suitable pair of garments to tug on because apparently he's too proud to wear anything other than his designated work-out attire. antoine smirks to himself, musing how koke is an avid metrosexual, always dressed for success and never leaving the dorm unless he was adequately dressed to attend classes or even leave campus.

  


"i thought you said we were just going for a jog, kokito?" snorts antoine as he hovers near the door, hand hovering above the door knob. "c'mon, man." 

  


koke sends him a scowl over his shoulder as he finally shimmies out of his pajama bottoms to transfer his body into a pair of black adidas joggers with a matching sweatshirt. "fuck, wait a sec. it was my idea anyway so i can take as long as i want." 

  


"but i can already see the sun coming out through the curtains," retorts antoine which grants him a childish raspberry from koke who snags up his wallet as he approaches the door along with antoine.

  


"keep sassing me and i won't pay for the croissants i was gonna buy you from this nice little place just outside of campus." 

  


 

-

 

  


needless to say that by the time that wednesday slowly comes to, everything is already hectic and the frenchman is panicking because there was no way he was going to ace this test today. or any other day, honestly, because math was difficult and he had refused to ask for any assistance since he was far too ashamed to do so.

  


not when fernando was the student assistant and simeone was as intimidating as he was; always eyeing the blond with a peculiar glint in his eyes, like he was some precious gem or something that he was intent on getting his stubby little fingers onto. offhandedly the blond wonders what the gay to straight ratio at this school was since it seemed that everyone was generally one or the other without much leeway in between.

  


all thoughts seem to seep away once koke places a reassuring hand upon his shoulder then begins to rub that hand all along his back in soothing manner. "i can see the tension in your face and it'll be better if you stopped thinking so much about the test because then you'll actually fuck up."

  


the blond rolls his shoulders clockwise and then counter-clockwise all the while the hand still works up and down the expanse of his back. "that wasn't much of a pep talk," nervously mumbles the elder boy as he glances at koke through his peripheral, finding him smirking.

  


"it's just—you make it seem like that pepperoni-looking little shit is actually going to fail you." flippantly replies the male as he halts the movements of his hand for a moment before shifting completely and twirling his finger in a circle, his silent way of asking the blond to shift as well. 

  


both hands are against his back now and antoine feels his eyes rolling toward the back of his head, tension and knots slowly but surely dissipating with the way those hands are working him. "what are you even talking about?" questions the teen in a light, airy voice as he allows his head to slump against his own chest.

  


"you're literally fucking him, man, pretty much on a daily for the most part. he's kind of the cliche teacher with a thing for young, eligible kids like you. the whole 'suck my dick for extra credit,' kinda thing going on." whispers koke in a hushed tone as to not gather any unwanted attention from those around them actually reviewing for the test. 

  


antoine buries his face within his hands and releases a heavy sigh, shaking his head. "i never wanted to be the stereotypical dumb blond that has to sleep with their teacher for a grade."

  


"if it helps, you're not that dumb and plus he's not our teacher, not really at least. i'm just convinced that simeone is too lazy to actually teach, all he seems to do is read those stupid national geographic magazines or whatever." that makes both the boys have to stifle a laugh, that is until they abruptly stop at the sound of simeone's voice.

  


his voice is loud, commanding, as he calls attention to himself in the front of the room. the raven-haired man explained the time limit on the test and what the questions would look like and entail. it doesn't take longer than about a minute to explain, though he talks to them as if they're some type of sub-human that wouldn't comprehend without a thorough explanation. sea green eyes shift toward the taller man beside him, motioning for him to add onto whatever he had just said for emphasis, but the freckled boy declines to speak as he probes the hall for sign of one blond in particular.

  


the man has the audacity to wink at him playfully before simeone announces that fernando would be passing out the test and that he demanded silence or else—no one really wanted to question what the guy would do and or say if someone spoke a peep, so everyone remained relatively silent as fernando went from row to row to pass out the sheets with tiny numbers covering it from front-to-back, the papers stapled together and looking quite imposing.

  


when he reaches antoine's row, he addresses him in a low, quiet voice: "all that nonstop studying you do all the time better pay off, i won't go easy on you." he winks playfully once more as he counts out the number of stacks he would need for the row of students, handing them to antoine to pass down the length of the row. "bonne chance, mon soleil."

  


brows quirk at the usage of his native tongue and before he can question the spaniard about it, the little shit is grinning to himself as he works on the next few rows. somehow it brings a smile to his mouth knowing that it was his way of attempting to impress him or perhaps the man had always known tidbits of french just like how he knew tidbits of portuguese and german from the melting pot of students at the university and even in high school.

  


it's hard to focus on the test, even when koke clears his throat and kicks him in the leg, because he's too focused on the sight of fernando leaning back in a swivel chair with his legs kicked up on the desk like it was his own with very little rebuttal from simeone who is far too engrossed in a magazine to care. chestnut hues flicker every once and a while across he room, surveying for possible cheaters, but would always land on antoine and he would offer an encouraging smile in his direction.

  


granted when an hour passes, antoine has only just scratched the surface of the test, earning eye rolls from koke when he notices the lack of work. koke, who's already done, picks the papers up from the desk and tilts them at an angle as if he's checking his answers but is actually attempting to supply the blond with key answers that would guarantee him a barely passable grade; not that he had time to finish it, of course, when simeone clears his throat and announces it was over. 

  


no one was allowed to speak, _or else_ adds simeone for emphasis, until the tests were collected by fernando and then they were allowed to leave or stay behind if there were any questions or concerns regarding the material on the test.

  


"you're a literal idiot," scoffs the brunet as he saddles his messenger bag onto his shoulder, rising from his seat and stretching a bit. "you didn't even finish the last page, stupid."

  


wincing at his words, the blond can only shrug as if he didn't care, but he does and fuck he should have actually paid more attention. "it's only the first test of the semester and if i fail, i can always make sure to pass every test after this... right..?"

  


koke looks rather unimpressed with the elder's reasoning but brushes it off nonetheless: "yeah, well. it's not gonna impress freckles over there that you were more interested in eye-fucking him than actually trying to pass."

  


speaking of the freckled man, he was casually strolling toward the two and koke, deciding he didn't like the guy for whatever reason, gathers the rest of his things and leaves. antoine can't form a coherent in response in time before the younger is already halfway down the steps and making his gradual way toward the exit, brushing past fernando on his way down, coining him a narrowed gaze.

  


the freckled boy hovers by the end of the row and nods his head in the direction of the door, "i wanna talk to you about something. lemme walk you to your next class, maybe?"

  


looking hesitant the frenchman nods weakly, frightened that the brunet had glanced over his test and that this was what that was about. "yeah, sure. hold on," he leans door to pluck up his book-bag full of essentials and throws it over his shoulders as he follows the elder down the steps toward the door.

  


fernando's large hands are deep within his pockets as the two stroll down the crowded corridor of bodies attempting to navigate toward their next classes. he glances at antoine for a moment, cheeks slightly tinged with crimson, before clearing his throat. "so i was thinking that instead of just hooking up all the time which, fuck, it's fucking great.. that, i dunno, maybe i could actually take you out or something instead of meeting up at the frat house all the time.. maybe?"

  


"like on a date?" tentatively questions the blond, brows raising to his hairline, blinking owlishly up at the elder while he absently rubs the back of his perspiring hands on his jeans.

  


"not unlike a date?" the way he tip-toes around the subject makes the blond chuckle softly, eyeing him curiously. "i mean, i just thought i should get to know the guy i was fucking, i guess?"

  


looking more than a little dejected, antoine only lets his features falter for a second, before he's smiling and nodding his head slowly. "oh, yeah. i—i get that, yeah."

  


fernando, on the other hand, looks more relieved than anything as he slings an arm around antoine's waist and tugs him towards an empty-looking hallway to press him against the wall. "don't take it the wrong way, sunshine. i don't usually do dates, they're not my thing, so i probably fucked up asking, huh?"

  


the blond wrinkles his nose in disdain and offers a little nod in confirmation, "it wasn't a good way to lead the question."

  


it makes the elder laugh in amusement as he swoops down to place a tentative kiss to antoine's lips, letting them linger them for a minute, while his hands occupy themselves with winding around his lithe form to squeeze at his ass and bring him closer into the contours of his body. as always the blond melts into the kiss and parts his lips to allow the elder entry, delicately tracing the outlines of each crevice within his mouth, remembering the contours here and there.

  


he tilts his head slightly to deepen the kiss, which fernando allows, grunting against his mouth as he huddles closer towards his body and kneads his hands into antoine's ample bottom. the blond gasps sharply into the kiss and fernando takes that as a sign to withdraw with an amused snort as he leans down to place one final, tender kiss to his lips before backing away to allow the younger much-needed space.

  


"i mean it when i say i like you," fernando informs solemnly, eyes locking and holding onto antoine's azures. "i might not know how to show it the right way right now but don't doubt it, yeah?"

  


"yeah," breathlessly exhales antoine as he adjusts himself awkwardly within his jeans: "yeah, okay."

  


with that fernando reverts back to the previous corridor and lets antoine lead the way to his next class, the back of his hands brushing against the younger's on the way to the building they were approaching, neither commenting on the contact nor the weird electricity that seems to flow from one to the other. 

  


 

-

 

  


today the cafeteria was practically vacant save for a couple of people scattered across the multitude of tables strewn about the air-conditioned room. the blond releases an outstretched yawn as he toys with the sandwich upon his plate, tugging at the tomato between the buns and offering it to koke, who plucks it up and immediately begins to gnaw at it as he were famished.

  


"i still can't believe you refuse to eat tomatoes but still manage to like ketchup, isn't that ass-backwards?" murmurs koke around the slice of red fruit before returning to his own plate to dig a nugget into the homemade honey mustard.

  


"they don't even taste the same," defends the blond with a laugh as he reaches for the previously untouched chocolate milk in a glass, bringing it to his lips to take deep gulps. 

  


"but they're literally the same thing. like—like they taste the same, in my opinion, it's just your weird french genes showing and your lack of culture." teases koke lightheartedly as he nibbles on the end of the chicken nugget before plopping the whole thing in his mouth to munch on.

  


putting in effort to look offended, the blond narrows his eyes and purses his lips firmly, rolling his eyes as he finally takes a bite of the sandwich. "whatever, man."

  


"where you been these last few days anyway?" ponders the brunet as he rummages through his messenger bag, still absently chewing up the nugget in the process.

  


"you told me to be social so i figured i would look at clubs or something, not that you would have noticed or anything. you've been hanging out with those tennis kids," states antoine with a heaved sigh. 

  


"it's ping pong club, actually." clarifies the spaniard with a tilt of his chin in the air, chuckling to himself as he retrieves a crumpled piece of paper then tosses it across the table. "whenever i invite you, you always look at me weird, so i stopped asking."

  


antoine catches the paper and unravels it slowly, glancing at koke suspiciously, before flattening it out as best as he could muster on the tabletop. "because i know you would just make fun of me and my crappy hand-eye coordination the whole time," murmurs antoine as he squints his eyes to read the familiar handwriting. he glances up at koke once more, quirking a brow, then waving the paper around: "where'd you even get this?"

  


"this kid named neymar is in ping pong club, the kid's a fucking spaz, he was like: 'you know your blond shadow? can you give this to him?' so of course i took it, didn't even read it or anything, he just tossed it to me all crumpled and wrinkly looking." koke explains with a curious cant of his head: "what's it say? who's it from?"

  


once more the blond reads it and eventually finds himself offering a reserved smile. he leaves it stretched out on the table and retrieves his phone to thumb in the number and attaches a name to it. "fernando asked me on a date, sort of at least.. guess he figured it was impossible to get a hold of me so he got neymar to give me his number."

  


koke clenches his jaw for a moment then releases it a considerate moment later. "still fuck buddies?"

  


antoine nods reluctantly, nibbling on his bottom lip nervously and shrugging a shoulder. "i mean, yeah, nothing's changed. why, what's up? why do you look so pissed about it?"

  


"i'm happy you're getting laid on a semi-regular basis but if this guy's gonna mess with your grades, maybe you should think about dropping him for now?" antoine opens his mouth to speak but koke silences him with a hand raising before him: "no, seriously, hear me out. it's been a month already and you're already off to a bad start with that test we both know you flunked. you're happy, that's good and i'm happy if you're happy, but you can't just ignore homework and tests for a guy like that."

  


the permanent smile that seemed impossible to rid off leisurely transforms into a small frown as he stares at koke. and, yeah, it's true but that doesn't mean that he wants to hear it. this thing, whatever it was, with fernando was fun and fun was what he needed to replace the pressure he had on him to do well in school. it was easier, muses the blond, to tame his desires than it was to rid of the anxiety he had for schoolwork and anything that revolved around the numerous buildings littering the campus grounds.

  


"i just care about you, that's all."

  


 

-

  


**to: nando**  
**[ got your note :) ]**

  


**from: nando**  
**[ i was hoping you did otherwise i'd have to**  
**kick the shit out of neymar for possibly giving**  
**it to the wrong person or something hahaha ]**

  


**from: nando**  
**[ been busy all week with futbol practice but i**  
**should be free this weekend, so what about**  
**saturday night? i think i know a place? ]**

  


antoine stares at the text messages pointedly and swears when he reads them that he can fernando's voice at the back of his head saying them himself. perhaps there should be boundaries because the blond swears that he already has a crush on the freckled boy, which probably wouldn't end well all things considered, but negative thoughts hadn't exactly crossed his mind in the weeks he had known fernando.

  


it was late friday afternoon and he was hanging out with koke for once within the room used to host ping pong club events, watching as the tiny white ball was thrust back and forth across the center net, somewhat intrigued by the game despite previously not wanting anything to do with it. he figured he owed the younger male that, especially once koke had complained about not spending enough quality time with him lately.

  


he glances back down at his phone then to text out a response: 

  


**to: nando**  
**[ no life, no plans. saturday is good**  
**for me :p ]**

  


**from: nando**  
**[ was hoping so ;) feel free to come**  
**to my practice later this evening ?**  
**too hot atm so coach is postponing ]**

  


**to: nando**  
**[ next time? hanging with kk and i**  
**don't wanna piss him off D: ]**

  


**from: nando**  
**[ cool as a cucumber.. have fun? :p ]**

  


this time antoine doesn't text back, knowing that if he did he would be permanently distracted and would continue the conversation, so he reverts attention back to koke in an intense battle with the hazel-eyed brazilian he recognized as neymar pretty much owning him. the way he held the paddle looked almost painful but it worked for him considering he never missed the ball once and always sent it full force across the net.

  


koke struggles to maneuver quick enough, however, and the ball bounces onto the ground and rolls across the floor unceremoniously. but both boys are laughing so harm no foul obviously. nonetheless while koke is off jogging after the ball for another match, neymar shifts in his spot to stare haughtily at him.

  


"what?" incredulously asks the blond as he stares after koke before snapping his gaze back to neymar.

  


one of his palms rests against the table and he leans all his weight onto one side, a smug grin tugging at his lips. "nothing, irmão." he doesn't speak for a moment, just taking in the sight of the blond, then laughs abruptly. "yeah, see, now i can see why nan-man wants you so bad. s'the eyes, i think, all big and blue and pretty." he points a finger and wags it, "yeah, that's it. definitely."

  


flushing, the blond averts their gaze to look elsewhere, squirming beneath his scrutinizing gaze. "does he talk about me or—..?" he knows he's far out on a limb here but it didn't hurt to ask such a simple question.

  


"ohoho, does he." confirms neymar with a suggestive wiggle of his brows. "he's not usually exclusive with anyone, y'know, so you must have a magical hole."

  


at the vulgarity of the statement, antoine splutters on a breath, coughing awkwardly as he tugs at the collar of his shirt. "is that, uh, is that all he says?"

  


"nah, 'course not." dismissed the brazilian as koke slowly returns after stopping to watch another game in motion. "he says other things, too. girly things like 'fuck, i'm screwed, like him too much.' y'know, things he doesn't usually say. had us all scared for him, honestly, but you're not too bad. could be worse, you could be the girl he was with before. talk about a handful," neymar's raises his hands and squeezes the air before him: " _literally_."

  


before antoine can question the subject any further, he is interrupted by koke's return, the brunet's dark eyes lighting up in determination as he serves the ball to neymar. "saw you guys talking, didn't know you knew each other. fucking small world, right?"

  


"i met him once or twice," comments the blond as he looks the brazilian up and down; charming, to say the least, and agitating at best. 

  


"i would say three times but i don't think you'd count that one, would you?" neymar's voice trails off and he receives a dumbfounded look from koke, brows raising stiffly, lips parting slightly as if he were about to prompt an explanation.

  


"what's he talkin' about, ant?" koke asks after a moment of silence from all of their respective selves, glancing back and forth between the blond and neymar. "no secrets remember, man, and don't lie."

  


antoine heaves an exasperated sigh, offering neymar a scowl, the brunet cackling deviously as he begins to hump the air with very fluid strokes as if replicating the scene. "fuck, no secrets." he runs a shaky hand through his locks, tugging at the roots, not meeting neymar's gaze. "remember when i went out for laundry?" the brunet nods slowly, hesitantly, motioning for him to continue: "i ran into fernando when i was helping this girl out with math and he just—he said i could wash and dry at the frat house, so i went and—"

  


"—and they gave that goddamn washing machine a run for it's money with all that thrusting, lemme tell you." intercepts neymar who seemed impatient and desired getting straight to the point. "i couldn't tell if the washer itself was moving like that or if they were making it move like that." 

  


koke's demeanor doesn't change much though he does look at neymar for a split second with a crinkled nose as he addresses him. "too much information for my poor virgin ears," he abruptly chooses to muff them with his hands and turns away from antoine, not daring to even chance a glance in his direction. "he's like my brother and that's the last thing i wanna hear about, especially with all that detail."

  


silently the blond spews as he contemplates multiple ways to murder the talkative and overzealous brazilian that can only snicker before him, having to grip onto the ping pong table to steady himself, almost slipping and falling backwards with the force of his quaking shoulders as he laughs so hard that tears are steadily pricking at the backs of his eyes and are cascading down the planes of his cheeks.

  


and if that wasn't the single most embarrassing moment of his life, despite the rendezvous itself, he didn't know what was. not only that but facing koke afterwards would certainly be a hassle, if the way he had initially looked at him was anything to go by. once more the blond sighs though this time he leans forward until his elbows are digging into his thighs, burying his face into his hands, letting out a groan of frustration.

  


  


  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't replied to everyone yet and it's only because I'm trying to maintain the muse I have to write this, but I did read them all and I appreciate all the nice things everyone said ;) <3 xx


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so this one is a little longer than the others, so i mean, enjoy ? :p

  
  


friday night was slow and torturous, mostly because the blond had been fighting slumber. sleeping that night just wasn't plausible, not with the impending date that would arrive on saturday, not when the flutter of nerves was already consuming his petite form. of course antoine had gone on dates before, more than he would honestly claim to admit, but that didn't mean the thought of it going wry escaped his mind.

  


while koke is asleep a few feet across the room, the blond maneuvers the room as silently as possible as he tugs on a thin sweater along with a pair of worn shorts. and, yeah, the combination was probably a little peculiar considering the days were often long and sweltering but at one-thirty in the morning it didn't really matter.

  


many places and buildings around the campus were closed, of course, minus the library that seemed indefinitely open for students that were intent on cramming on working until the late a.m. to finish projects. fingers pluck up a pair of headphones, wrapping them securely around his neck, along with his ipod before he finally abandons the room. not that he was going to study, no, probably just sift through the books on display and read a little to calm his frenzied mind. 

  


trekking across campus in the dark, despite the clarity from flickering streetlights, was quite an experience. by experience he means none at all because there's literally no one around except campus security randomly halting teenagers and asking for their student identification to see whether or not they actually went to the school. something in a newsletter about how other people and students from other schools weren't allowed on campus after eleven or else they would fear being escorted away and forbidden to come back.

  


despite the coolness of outside, the temperature inside of the massive library is damn-near scorching. he hisses as he strips off the sweater to tie it loosely around his waist, thankful for the white tank he adorned beneath it. there's a student volunteer behind the main desk playing librarian for the night; his sandy-brown head is tilted back and his eyes are clenched and if antoine thinks he hears the desk creaking and an audible gasp, well, he definitely wasn't going to say anything.

  


antoine chooses a seat near the back of the library near the glass that takes up the entirety of the wall overlooking the campus grounds. he had randomly grabbed a book to read and figured that something was better than nothing. but his eyes don't read past the first page, however, as he's distracted by two people flanking either side of him. withholding a groan to the best of his ability, already irritable and sleep deprived, he can only glance back and forth between the faces.

  


"you look like you could use a breather," openly speaks the brunet who sports an impressive looking beard. thin fingers offer a blunt, nodding his head in the direction of it. "no seriously. you look dead and i think you need it more than me and jan here."

  


jan is leaned back in one of the chairs, arms crossed over his chest, nodding his head. "i'm jan, this is yan." the brunet nods his head in acknowledgement, a blindingly bright smile plastering across his mouth.

  


antoine narrows his eyes slightly as he eyes the blunt presented to him, hesitantly reaching out to take it, eyeing it suspiciously. not that he was an avid smoker or anything, he just preferred not to when given the choice and much enjoyed a nice, cool beer over an type of drug. but it looks more and more appeasing the more he stares at it and the feel of peer pressure begins to overwhelm him as he finally accepts it.

  


"that'a boy," yannick claps him on the back harshly then reaches for the book on the table before the blond, turning it this way and that, quirking a brow at jan then looking at the blond once more. "you must be exhausted if you chose ' _the giver_ ' as your midnight read." he whistled, low and unimpressed, motioning for the blond to take a hit. "it'll make you feel better, i promise."

  


as bad an idea as it is, and antoine knows this, he parts his lips and takes a steady hit that leaves him coughing out a cloud of smoke. yannick, deciding to be helpful, drops the book and pats the blond on the back whispering something along the lines of 'go slow, dude.' so he obliges and takes it slow, inhaling deeply and holding the smoke, before tilting his head and releasing it into the air above. dark eyes lighten up at that, prideful, as he encourages the blond to continue the reckless behavior despite the wary look that jan wears. 

  


"it's good, right?" yannick questions, a little too excited at the current events unfolding, reaching out to accept the blunt that antoine offers. there's a wistful expression on antoine already, eyes bright and glistening, lips parted slightly and moistening when he licks his lips. "gonna teach you some tricks, too." the blond glances to the side at jan, who looks preoccupied with picking at his nails:

  


"is he okay..?" breathes the blond into the silence as he looks the latter up and down in concern, garnering jan's attention, the feathered haired boy snorting in amusement.

  


"don't mind him, he's not the best at spanish." waves the brunet as he takes a hit and blows a train of spirals towards the blond's face. "he usually uses his phone whenever he needs to translate something to someone, but lucky for me, he also knows dutch so we tend to talk like that."

  


intrigued, the blond sits up straighter, leaning across the table curiously. "oh seriously? how do you know dutch?"

  


yannick, seemingly content with all the attention he's receiving, shrugs a halfhearted shoulder. "born and raised in belgium for the longest until about ten or so, but i grew up speaking spanish too. parents decided to come back here after a while but it was easy to adjust." he takes another hit, holding it in for nearly a minute, before exhaling with a sigh. "people aren't that different anywhere."

  


"oh yeah, yeah i know." antoine speaks a little faster then usual as he motions his hands this way and that. "i was born in france so my native language is french and i never get to use it much since no one here really speaks it, so it makes me a little homesick and sometimes i wanna go back, but i can't just leave this scholarship just to be a giant baby and cry home to my parents—"

  


"—fuck, okay, slow down chatterbox. s'bad enough you have that accent when you speak spanish but i can't understand shit you just said." jan snickers and soon yannick joins in as well, passing the blunt across the table to the quiet boy.

  


"talk too much," notes jan with a warm smile despite his words, taking a hit, body visibly relaxing after. "is not bad but will kill high." 

  


"i don't even feel high or anything right now," admits the blond as he squirms within his seat and fights the urge to giggle with a hand shielding his mouth: "i don't know, i don't feel anything right now." 

  


"takes time," murmurs jan as he shifts within his seat to tuck a leg beneath him, leaning forward on his elbows. "high makes yan hot and heavy."

  


"bullshit, tough guy." yannick retorts, cheeks flushing crimson, the sound of a yelp erupting from jan who leans down to rub at his leg. "he means 'horny,' if you were wondering. neither true nor false, s'different every time." there's a suggestive smirk tugging at his lips, however, as he sticks a hand out toward jan to accept the blunt once more. "ever fuck high, little bird?"

  


silence. the blond gulps deeply, mind a complete haze, as he comprehends the words being spoken to him. it was hard to concentrate, notes the blond, as he rakes fingers through his hair and shakes it out for something to do since his fingers were plagued with a peculiar tingling. blue eyes glance from one boy to the other, laughter threatening to burst from his throat once more, but somehow he manages to swallow down the urge to do so and instead shifts uncomfortably within his seat. 

  


to his left, jan hums some inaudible tune, one that isn't familiar to him but sounds like some type of song. he glances at him for some form of assistance from the obvious come on from yannick but the feather-haired boy makes it a point not to glance in his direction, instead picking at his nails once more, continuing the humming. when he glances back to yannick, he finds the blunt being presented to him once more, the latter's brow perking up to him as if silently insisting he take it.

  


it's like he has no control of his limbs as he moves to take it once more, taking hit after hit, the silence deafening in a way that he wishes he could just melt into his seat and disappear from the situation he found himself in. the more and more he smokes, however, the more and more his thoughts become detached and unclear as he loosens up and laughs at almost every thought that pops into his mind. then he thinks of fernando, tall and perfect fernando, with his chestnut eyes and long limbs and perfectly styled hair and—and his everything, really, including his voice, warm like honey, and the way those eyes would look at him adoringly.

  


"i have somewhere to be, i think." rasps the blond as he abruptly rises from his seat and awkwardly stumbles this way and that before gripping onto the table for support. "i gotta be somewhere but the room's—s'spinning, can't think." 

  


"you're one of those people," murmurs yannick with a chuckle as he raises to his feet and darts hands out to steady the blond. "i could take you back to your dorm, or my dorm, sure jan won't mind. probably has a girl or somethin' to see around here. you know how it is."

  


the blond shivers beneath the touch and makes to step away but the latter is holding onto his elbow to keep him upright. and, honestly, the blond doesn't know what overcomes him when he bends an arm back and delivers a punch to the center of yannick's pretty little face. jan's laughter is loud and boisterous as the blond wavers from foot to foot but eventually gets into motion to cross the campus in an attempt to reach one brunet in particular. 

  


 

-

 

  


somehow he finds himself standing awkwardly in front of the frat house, wavering anxiously from foot to foot, rapping on the door. minutes pass and the door slings open to reveal a girl dressed in a shirt that's far too long to be her own, her head canting imploringly and her brows furrowing tightly. she asks who he belongs to, as if he's some kind of property, and eventually closes the door and tells him to wait.

  


about a minute later emerges fernando, who's shirtless save for a pair of pajama bottoms clinging to his waist, shielding a yawn with the back of his hand. "oh, hey." he looks surprised but not negatively so, a small lazy smile spreading across his lips at the sight of the blond: "what are you doing here? it's late, i was hoping our date would be later on today." teases the brunet as he shifts to the side to allow the younger entry, "you okay..?"

  


nonplussed by the reaction he received, the blond just shrugs halfheartedly, brushing shoulders with fernando as he makes his way into the lukewarm house. as soon as the door audibly clicks shut the blond is in motion and shoving, with strength he hadn't known to possess, the taller against the door and pressing their lips together in a harsh crash of lips. there's a startled squeak from fernando but otherwise no other complaints, not that he could make one, not with the way that antoine meets his tongue halfway and battles vehemently for dominance.

  


and why is he doing this? because he wasn't certain himself but it felt good—better than good, actually, but he can't find the words to express it right now. not when that dizzy feeling from before is returning in full force as he staggers within the grip that fernando has on either side of his waist. it's a struggle to remain upright but he manages despite the giggles he allots into the latter's mouth. 

  


"last time i checked exhibitionism was looked down upon," chortles a familiar voice who flickers the lights on above until the two previously shrouded figures are clearly visible for anyone to notice. neymar, who has an arm wrapped around james' waist, smirks smugly and cants his head to the side like the little cheeky fuck he is. "but on our—"

  


" _your_ —" interrupts the colombian with a heaved sigh as he struggles out of the embrace the brazilian has him in but to no avail, arms crossing stubbornly over his chest.

  


"—fine, whatever, my account.. on _my_ ," emphasizing the curly-haired boy with a roll of his eyes, clicking his tongue to scold the raven: "account please don't stop, feel free to put on a show. maybe that virgin marc-andré will stop by and get a full on show that he wouldn't see in his normal, pure life as a snow angel." 

  


as if on cue, with the hearing of a hawk or—well, whatever animal had superior hearing—a brazilian is back-pacing to scrutinize the scene unfolding before him. an eyebrow perks in response to the mention of the german, eyes glancing from face to face and back, clearing his throat and prompting an explanation. "did someone say marc?" rafinha questions curiously, eyes glancing to neymar, finding the elder flicking him off.

  


"oh fuck off, rafa."

  


shoulders slumping in disappointment, the brazilian releases an aggravated sigh, nodding nonetheless as he returns the middle finger. "fucking off." 

  


despite the raucous sounding off from all around him, antoine doesn't seem to notice. because he was far too preoccupied with the towering spaniard in front of him, his dainty hands thrusting forward to cling to the wispy hairs at the back of his neck. there was no way he would allow those loud-mouths to disturb what was currently in action, so he—with the grace that only a frenchman could possess—swiftly turns on the heel of his sneaker and tugs on the drawstrings of fernando's pajama pants until he willingly follows him.

  


more aimless chatter erupts from neymar, who is presumably taunting the two while a seemingly disinterested james shushes and guides him back up the staircase, not that he could hear properly with the peculiar droning constantly wracking his eardrums and brain. probably wasn't important anyway, nothing seemed important right then and there, not when he had a dazed and perplexed fernando padding across the floor behind him, hands still remaining in tact upon his hips.

  


the stumble into the room is nothing short of embarrassing, if antoine were even aware of it, earning a few chuckles from fernando in the process. he leads them over to the rustled bed-sheets and assists the younger with sitting down, tugging off his shoes next, placing them side-by-side on the floor. dark eyes glance up then, narrowed in scrutiny, attempting to figure out what the hell was going on without blatantly asking.

  


but antoine has other plans, of course, as he leans down and takes fernando's prickly face within his hands. once more there are eager lips on fernando's, pressing down with force, whining in his throat when the brunet doesn't reciprocate. he pulls back, confused, brows furrowed and eyes glassy. the spaniard sighs at the expression he wears, the look of blatant rejection; he knew it far too well.

  


fernando runs slender digits through the disheveled locks of his hair for a moment, not saying anything, just trying to gather his thoughts. "it's not you—"

  


"—so it's me?" weakly croaks the blond before the full sentence is even formed, sniffing, eyes shifting downcast to stare at his bare feet.

  


"no, hey. it's not you, it really isn't." insists the brunet as he relaxes on his knees that are pressed into the plush carpet. he leans one elbow on antoine's knee and uses the other hand to place a forefinger under the younger's chin, tilting it upward once more. "just don't think you know what you're doing right now, that's all."

  


antoine owlishly blinks, brows furrowed tightly, as he scans the latter's face. "..booty call..?" it's said as more a question than anything but it garners a broad grin from fernando.

  


"you're high as fuck, aren't you?" teases the spaniard with an amused chuckle as he traces his fingers along the scarlet blush that paints antoine's cheeks, seeing it darken at his touch, spreading across the bridge of his nose now.

  


scowling at the spaniard, the blond sticks his tongue out childishly, lips pursing into a pout. "i might be, so what?"

  


"you're too cute," fernando states with an adoring smile as he playfully bobs the younger's nose: "you can stay here since i don't trust you to go back to your dorm like this. i'd hate to see you handcuffed because you decided to go streaking across campus and then thought taking a leak on the statue of the dean was a smart idea."

  


offended, antoine scoffs, though it quickly turns into a snort a moment later. "have you done that before?"

  


"streaking, yes." a communal bout of laughter fills the room as the two look at each other; nothing else captures their attention, how could it, not when they're so wrapped up in each other like they are.

  


"peeing on a statue then?" inquires antoine with another narrow of his eyes, fingers fiddling within his lap, both of fernando's elbows resting on his knees. 

  


looking thoughtful, as if honestly trying to recall, fernando goes silent. then he shrugs a shoulder, face still contemplative, lips pursing together. "if i have, i really don't remember. so don't judge me."

  


"judgement reserved. sort of, at least." hums the blond as he reaches down to twine their fingers together, offering them a warm squeeze.

  


the two stay like that for a considerate moment, the clock resting on fernando's nightstand alerting the two that the new hour is upon them. ivory teeth sink into his lower lip, glancing from antoine's face and the clock, then abruptly rising to his feet. hands absently dust off the pajama bottoms he adorns then works on tugging the blond's shirt up and over his head, tossing it toward the nightstand. eyes lighting up, the blond then works on the fastenings on his jeans, but the spaniard snorts.

  


"you haven't gotten any sleep and i don't want to meet zombie 'toine yet." fernando grins as he strolls toward where the light-switch is, "get comfortable so i can turn the light out?"

  


doing as told, the blond wiggles up the expanse of the bed, head flopping back against one of the various pillows littering the headboard. he shifts onto his side just as the lights go off, tucking an arm beneath his head and the pillow, eyes blankly staring at the illuminated clock on the nightstand to his right. the bed slumps to the opposing side once fernando returns, scooting close toward the younger, slinging an arm across his waist as he settles in.

  


"this okay for your booty call to do or am i crossing boundaries here?"

  


in answer, the blond nods slowly, eyes fluttering to a content close. before he had been vigorously fighting the wave of sleep that overcame him but now? now he felt comfortable and drowsy, so he falls under relatively easy, wrapped in fernando's warmth and surrounded by the scent of his lingering cologne. maybe it was crossing an unspoken boundary, considering the nature of their relationship, but who was he to determine what they could and couldn't do?

  


 

-

 

  


it was way too early, even for a saturday, muses the spaniard as he sluggishly rises to lean back against the headboard. there, still bundled into a ball beneath the covers, rests antoine who looks as angelic as ever with his face nestled within the pillows and feathery hair swept across the material. thin lips are parted, ever so slightly, to breath while his eyes are clenching every now and then and fernando wonders what he could possibly be dreaming about.

  


dreams when high tended to be trippy, especially depending on how much of the blunt you smoked. it was something short of a religious experience, mused the brunet, as he shifts as quietly as possible to abandon the warmth of the bed to seek out the kitchen. light peers in from beneath the door to his bedroom, illuminating the room in a soft but barely navigable light, the spaniard having to squint to make his way out.

  


there is no surprise to the brunet when barely anyone is hanging around within the kitchen, not when it's—he squints once more, eyes peering overhead at the old-fashioned clock nearby. it's only ten minutes into twelve and yet there is still no breakfast on the table and he wasn't about to go into chef-mode to feed the hoard of fraternity boys lingering about.

  


he releases a soft yawn into the air, rubbing at the sleep still encrusted within his eyes, as he sifts casually through the refrigerator for something—anything, really—to fill the void within his stomach. an arm slings around him, murmuring lowly, so low that fernando can't understand a word.

  


"i'm neither drunk nor high enough to understand parsel-tongue right now." fernando states with a grin as he retrieves a thin carton of yogurt that would expire soon; it was time to restock, for sure.

  


the form clinging onto him for dear life, however, continues to murmur until finally detaching to stroll toward the kitchen island. "i said would it fucking kill you to get me some water and an aspirin," groans sergio as he practically collapses onto the surface, slouching over and stretching his arms across, face planted into the cool counter-top. "feels good.."

  


"where's your keeper?" prompts fernando as he places the yogurt carton onto the counter, slanting the spoon on top of the seal, before retrieving a water bottle and then sifts through the cabinet to hunt for pills.

  


"seeing as you're dick-whipped by that underclassmen, it's no longer you." rasps the spaniard as he shifts upon the counter so his forehead is now pressed into the surface. "guess you mean cristiano, huh?"

  


rolling his eyes, the brunet continues his search for pills and smiles once he discovers a bottle, shaking it to hear if contents are inside. and, sure enough, there are a few remaining; he'll need to stock up on those later on, too. "i do, yeah. where's he anyway? haven't seen him around the house lately."

  


releasing a groan as another pulse ripples through his head, sergio reluctantly straightens, reaching a hand out to accept the pills. his lips quirk upwards, grateful for fernando twisting the cap off the bottle, "who knows. something to do with irina or that little mouse he says he hates so much."

  


fernando quirks a brow at that, leaning against the counter where his yogurt is located, crossing his arms across his chest. "little mouse, huh?" he drums nimble fingers against his bicep thoughtfully then shifts to peel the seal off his yogurt, diving his spoon in and wrapping his mouth around it. "oh! _oh_." the brunet snickers his amusement: "you mean leo then?"

  


"fuck, yeah, him." sergio snaps his fingers then points in the direction of the spaniard, offering a thumbs up. "la pulga, yeah." he tilts his head back then, downing the pills and chasing them with deep gulps from the water. "he hates the guy but is always around him, sort of defeats the purpose, right?"

  


"how do you know he hates him?" wonders the brunet aloud as he scoops more and more of the yogurt from the minuscule container, humming at the taste of strawberries and cream. 

  


"he told me for fuck's sake." sergio claims, fingers gripping onto the edge of the island. "but whatever. thanks for the help, 'nan. gotta go find ken-doll so we can practice, you know the deal."

  


like that the spaniard is gone, fingers clenched tightly into a fist, shoulders tensed as he paces rapidly out of the kitchen area to leave fernando alone and in a stupor. not that he understood what exactly was going on but it wasn't like sergio to have an aneurysm over who someone chose to occupy their time with. offhandedly he wonders if it's because he's jealous of the attention cristiano gives to others but on the other hand, he doesn't care all that much, not when he had his own personal afflictions to take care of.

  


once he finishes his breakfast, he tosses it into the trashcan, returning back to his bedroom to find the blond is still sleeping. "like a rock," murmurs the spaniard with a laugh as his gaze lands on the sweater resting upon the nightstand, curiously picking it up and taking it toward where his desk lies. 

  


fernando plops down into the swivel chair there then sifts through the pockets, discovering why it was so heavy the night prior—more like a few hours ago, honestly. there in the pockets is a set of earphones as well as a cell phone and an ipod. this is a total invasion of privacy, and he knows it, but that doesn't stop his prying hands from fishing out the ipod to scan what type of music the kid listened to it.

  


he glances back to check if the blond is still asleep and finds that he is. so he tugs the headphones over his ears and plugs them into the ipod before hitting the shuffle button to listen to a random song. the one that pops up has him snorting, eyes rolling, glancing back at antoine to gaze at him with a reserved smile; of course this song would be on his ipod, of course.

  


feeling a little devious, he pauses the song and unplugs the headphones, instead plugging the device into the speakers he has on the desk off to the side. with that he presses play then swivels around in the chair to face the bed, leaning back comfortably in the chair, slinging a leg over the other.

  


it's probably impolite to play such loud music this early when most of the house was asleep, but he couldn't resist. so while the intro to the song is playing, he keeps a steady gaze on antoine's resting form, watching as he wriggles upon the bed and groans at the sound of the song playing overhead. when the first chorus rolls in, the blond is abruptly sitting up, glaring daggers at fernando; if only looks could kill.

  


' **I REALLY WANNA GET IT ON WITH YOU**

**AND FROM THE VERY SECOND THAT I SAW YOU**

**KNEW YOU WERE GONNA BE MY NEW BOOTY CALL (AND THAT'S ALL)** '

  


despite the initial anger that spreads across every inch of antoine's face, he still somehow looks as sweet and embarrassed as usual. the apples of his cheeks darken considerably with the heat of his blush, resting on his knees, a noise akin to a growl rippling through his throat as he reaches for one of the abandoned pillows resting lump-sided on the bed.

  


once he gathers one, he aims straight for fernando, tossing it with all the force he can muster in his petite form. it doesn't do much damage, as expected, the spaniard catching it easily mid-flight. all fernando can do is lean forward on his knees, laughing so hard that his shoulders quake, gripping onto his stomach tightly.

  


this time when another pillow is launched in his direction, it smacks him right in the head, the spaniard not even caring as he continues to laugh—even harder this time, if that were physically possible, tears forming at the corners of his eyes. the sounds of antoine climbing out of bed are audible as he pads across the floor, barefoot, to find the ipod resting on the desk. he makes a grab for it, much to fernando's dismay, and smashes the 'pause' button until the sound fizzles out completely and interrupts the course of the lyrics: 

  


' **I'VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT IT ALL DAY LONG**

**JUST DON'T GO FALLING IN LOVE**

**BOY, YOU DOWN TO BE MY NEW BOO** —'

  


"you went through my stuff?" accuses the frenchman despite it being blatant and obvious as the sun in the center of the sky. "i know you did, but why?"

  


finding the force of will to stop laughing was difficult but the spaniard manages to do just that as he shrugs back into the swivel chair once more to stare up at the frenchman standing over him, lips pursed and arms crossed over his chest, attempting to look as angry as possible; it doesn't work, however, and if anything the blond is more entertained by the display than anything else. he admires the effort, honestly, as he's sure with that face that it's impossible to look threatening and intimidating.

  


"i wanted to see what type of music you were into," admits the spaniard with a devious smirk. "i just didn't expect you to be the model of an american teenager, that's all." 

  


fretting to himself and drowning in the sheepish feeling invading his gut, antoine can only pout, attempting not to catch the latter's eye. feeling a little guilty despite the laughter that still bubbles in his throat, fernando thrusts fingers forward, hooking them in the belt-loops of his jeans until he's seated upon his lap. seeming comforted by the action, the blond finally allots a laugh.

  


"you could've just asked about my crappy taste in music, i probably would have told you." murmurs the blond, wrapping an arm around the elder's neck, letting it loosely hang there. 

  


"if that's what you listen to, i highly doubt it." snickers the brunet as he jiggles the knee that antoine is currently seated upon, pressing a tender kiss to the spot just behind his ear.

  


antoine shivers involuntarily, shifting further up in the latter's lap, not deterred in the least. "that's probably the only song like that on my ipod, i swear." defends the blond a beat later as he reaches across to plug the ipod back in once more: "i mostly listen to songs in french, like this. hold on." he scrolls for a quiet minute until finding the right song until it plays and the repetitive intro of 'bella,' begins.

  


"you know i don't speak any french, right?" counters the spaniard, brows furrowed, as he attempts to make sense of the words being sung and can only comprehend the name 'bella.' 

  


"i'm offended you don't know the language of love," teasingly scoffs antoine with a hand slanting over his heart as he feigns offense and nods his head along to the bass thumping through the speakers. "you don't have to understand the words to like the song anyway."

  


fernando looks thoughtful for a considerate moment, staring at the blond imploringly, before parting his lips to voice his thoughts. "i mean, you could teach me. if you wanted, y'know. i wouldn't mind or anything."

  


"oh." that's all he can say at the moment. no one else had asked to learn because no one else seemed to generally care that he was from france, though many tended to tease him about his accent when he spoke spanish, but that came with the territory of being foreign-born. 

  


"is that your weird way of saying 'okay,' or are you trying to tell me no?" antoine shakes his head abruptly but can't seem to get his vocal cords to cooperate. "so you're going to teach me then?"

  


"yeah, yeah definitely." happily hums the blond as he glances down at the knuckles of his hand, finding them a little bruised and reddened from the night before. "oh shit."

  


"what?" questions the brunet abruptly with a breathless laugh as the blond removes the arm from around fernando's shoulder to survey his knuckles. catching sight of the bruised-looking skin, fernando takes it within his hand, eyeing it cautiously then glancing slyly up at antoine. "got in a fight or something you didn't tell me about?"

  


once more the blond gazes over the torn skin, using his idle hand to brush over the tender flesh, glancing up at fernando then wincing. "i think i punched someone last night..?" he's not entirely certain as he warily eyes the reddened skin, smoothing over it with the pads of his fingers.

  


"must of been some hit then to do this to yourself," scolds the elder with a disapproving click of his tongue. "though i think the purpose of fighting is to hurt the other guy and not do damage to yourself." murmurs the spaniard as he jiggles his leg up and down once more, a nervous tick of his.

  


"s'not like i thought i would punch someone, ever. it just, well—it just sort of happened." defends antoine as he clenches the bruised hand into a fist then places it within his lap to shield it from the latter's prying eyes. "the kid got me high and then tried to, like—i don't even know, guess he thought it was my way of agreeing to sleep with him.. or something."

  


"or something, huh?" fernando is silent for a moment, as is the blond. he allows the newly found information to seep into his brain, gnawing absently at his lower lip until the skin breaks, then releases it a second later to form a question. "what was the kid's name?"

  


"uh, hold on." silently the blond wracks his mind before straightening when he remembers. "yannick, i think. something like that."

  


"had a baked, non-spanish speaking guy with him?" prompts the spaniard with a perked brow and antoine nods reluctantly, head canting curiously. "yeah, yeah i thought so. hey, uh. why don't you go back to your dorm and relax for the day and i'll come by later on tonight so we can go out?"

  


dejected and in low-spirits, the blond nods slowly, obliging with a small smile. with no idea about what was going on in this situation, antoine can only guess as to what had abruptly occurred, though he doesn't complain nor open his mouth to question it all. instead he gathers his sweater and slips it on, with assistance from fernando, who also hands him back his phone as well as ipod and other necessities.

  


before he leaves, however, fernando halts him by the door and presses a warm and reassuring kiss to his lips. "i have something to do, but i'm looking forward to tonight." with that he strolls toward the door with the blond in tow and walks him out, offering a playful wink. "and hey, no more kesha, ant."

  


 

-

 

  


"so here we go again," murmurs koke, who wears an agitated expression, lips pursed as offers the elder a wry crinkle of his nose. "i say it because i love you, honestly, and here you are going over to meet up with the cock-monster. again."

  


it's coming from a goodhearted place, antoine knows that much, but that doesn't mean that it doesn't irk his nerves as he listens to the constant reprimanding. as long as he manages to pass all of his classes and can maintain his scholarship, that should be the only thing that mattered, not who he may or may not be involved with; even though that bit was obvious considering there was no one else he had even considered messing around with. but still.

  


the frenchman continues to sit, quiet as a mouse, upon the very edge of his bed as he allows the younger man to vent his frustrations. perhaps it would make him feel better, which also meant less hassle from him. not once had koke involved himself in whatever relationship he found himself in unless something occurred and came to his knowledge, then he handled it how a best friend would, but lately it seems to be a little more than that. like it was deeper than just an issue with antoine's string-less sex, which is quickly becoming more and more attached each time fernando and antoine are alone together. maybe it wasn't entirely detached anymore, not when he could feel the strings physically forming whenever they talked, extending and growing thicker as they laughed and smiled together. 

  


"—and you're not even listening to me right now, fuck, 'toine." snaps the brunet as he abruptly halts the pacing back and forth in favor of sighing, shoulders slouching forward in defeat. it's then that the younger walks over to the bed that antoine currently occupies, plopping down unceremoniously beside him, and takes his hand in his own to offer it a squeeze. "i just want you to be happy and to do good without all this extra bullshit."

  


blinking, as if finally allowing the words to dawn on him, the blond perks up and snaps his neck with unnecessary force to glance to the side to meet koke's eyes. his laughter is barely contained with the way he bites his lip but eventually it pours from his mouth as he returns the squeeze. "did you just call fernando the 'cock monster' or am i hearing things?"

  


the tension seems to dissolve once koke starts laughing along with the elder, reluctantly pulling his hand away and instead wrapping an arm around the smaller boy. "yeah, well. have you seen the guy? looks like a master-gobbler, if you know what i mean."

  


"if you really wanted to know—"

  


"—i don't, stop, don't tell me." the spaniard is suddenly cupping his ears with his hands and is shaking his head vehemently against the information. "if you even dare to tell me about his experience deep-throating the noodle, i swear i won't be your friend anymore. i will literally dethrone you and replace you with, fuck, with—with neymar."

  


appalled, the blond tugs the hands away from their place against koke's ears, shoving him playfully to the side. "out of all the people here, you would replace me with him? really? you could do better."

  


"nah, not really. that's sort of a lie." koke admits with a faint blush as he leans back on the bed, palms pressed into the material of the bed. "it's hard to replace someone you've shared your first wet dream with, actually—do you even remember that? or how you stole my fucking colored pencils and broke them when we first met?"

  


recalling the memory is easy, probably one of the earliest memories he had of spain, smiling to himself. "you said my accent was stupid and annoying and told me to shut up."

  


"oh, c'mon." groans the younger boy as he falls back comfortably against the bed to stare up at the plain, white ceiling above. antoine follows suit a moment later, only a minuscule amount of space between them. "it's never not stupid and annoying and half the time i still want you to shut the fuck up."

  


antoine nudges him with a shoulder then abruptly punches the side of his leg, the younger hissing in pain, returning the hit in retaliation in the form of kicking his foot against the elder's. "what would you do without my stupid voice constantly in your head all the time, huh?"

  


the blond is met with a pregnant pause, nothing being said for a solid minute, just the sound of even breathing. it's like the younger actually has to think about it, like he's really questioning what it would be like. and antoine doesn't know why he would even ponder the idea when it was evident that he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. not to mention he would clarify any doubts immediately if it were brought to his attention. 

  


instead of reveling in the silence, however, the blond feels the need to keep the positive vibes going. "you remember when we were baking cookies for class that one day and you destroyed my kitchen and got me grounded for a week?"

  


"i considered it payback from when you broke my pencils," flippantly replies koke with a broad grin, eyes fluttering to a content close. "and it wasn't destroyed, i technically didn't break anything." 

  


"well yeah, you didn't break anything, but what wasn't covered in chocolate chips and batter?" murmurs antoine, tucking his folded arms behind his head, legs dangling off the edge of the bed and kicking back and forth.

  


"don't lie," chuckles koke as he tilts his head to the side to capture the elder's gaze: "there wasn't that much batter in the fucking bowl, 'toine. and, to be fair, you told me that's how the mixer worked. you didn't say it would fucking splatter everywhere and give the kitchen a homemade paint job," insists the younger as he recalls the memory with a fond grin, eyes bright and wistful.

  


"common sense, maybe?" hums the blond with a snort of amusement, "the direction booklet told you how to use it, s'not my fault you can't read."

  


"it was in _fucking french_ ," enunciates the spaniard with an outstretched groan, burying his face in his hands. "so, yeah, i really couldn't read it because it didn't make sense and it's not like there were pictures in the book thing."

  


"and i had to clean it all up myself because my parents called your parent's and said that you couldn't stay over that night. remember?" antoine huffs in response, eyes narrowed as he reverts his gaze back to the ceiling, lips jutting out in a frown. "do you know what it's like taking a shower with batter under your nails and smelling like a bakery for two days straight?"

  


"not really, no, but i remember you telling me about it at school for the next month or whatever." cue the over-dramatic eye roll. "dunno why you were complaining so much, you got all the girls back then. you know, when you were pretending to be straight but still wouldn't date a girl. good times, right?"

  


"i don't like you right now," teases the elder as he sits up abruptly, tucking a leg beneath him.

  


"you never not like me," reminds the younger with a broad grin, but he remains in the position he's in, more than comfortable with the scent of antoine wafting around him.

  


once more the blond snorts, "yeah, right. whatever."

  


the blond occupies himself with scavenging the room for a pair of clothing to change into for the date later on that night. there was ample time to do so, that much was true, but the giddiness and anticipation was starting to settle within the pit of his belly once more to a point where he couldn't bare to sit still a moment longer. if he wasn't in motion he would begin to overthink the date and whether it was actually a date or not; because normal friends tended to hang out all the time without there being any romantic intention involved, and he was still a little pressed about what exactly the relationship entailed.

  


eyes the color of whiskey watch as the elder trapezes about the room like a maniac, a fond smile settling upon his lips. stubby fingers drum against the lower half of his abdomen rhythmically, allowing the silence to continue. this time, however, it's more comfortable and ordinary as opposed to the tense quiet of before. for that, the younger is thankful, knowing that somehow their friendship still remained in excellent shape despite the blond constantly being away and never returning to their shared dorm.

  


"you're not going to fashion week," koke murmurs from his spot on the bed, sitting up to peer over at the blond. "the way you look isn't gonna make the guy suddenly not be into you. you know that, right?"

  


antoine casts him a dark stare, eyes narrowed, as he returns to searching through his things for a decent-looking pair of jeans and a clean shirt. that should be easy, really, since he had just washed recently but it isn't and he heaves an exasperated sigh. "i'm nervous, kokito."

  


"like it isn't obvious." the brunet presses his elbows upon his upper thighs, leaning forward. "it's just a date, you lil shit." 

  


 

-

 

  


as easy as it seems to say 'it's just a date,' it's actually a lot more than that. dates were scenarios that led to potential dating, as in the active form of 'date,' which is something that the blond desired more than anything. for some strange reason he had been entirely seduced by the spaniard, reveling in their short time together, unable to fight the smiles that twitch at the corners of his mouth when the elder tells a joke—regardless of how lame or stupid, it still somehow tickles his funny bone.

  


so when he texted fernando the details of where his dorm was located and on which floor, he had done what every normal, sane person does. which is have a minor panic attack because that's what people did when they were overwhelmed with anxiety about how things would go and whether or not he would be seen as boring or inadequate.

  


all he ever wanted to be for someone is enough, and he wasn't convinced that he was. no matter what he did or who he dated, nothing would be enough to convince him of such a thing, so yeah. but when he sees the equally as sheepish brunet appear at his door with a giant pack of his favorite candy, which—had he mentioned that or retrieved the information from an outside source? either way he was content and the feelings of insecurity seeped away when the brunet had taken his hand confidently in his own, leading him toward where an uber rested in front of the dorm.

  


' _gas is expensive and i'm an equally as struggling college student,_ ' fernando had said when he allows antoine to get into the taxi first with him following closely after. the ride to the unknown location was short, all things considered, even though the traffic is relatively heavy around the campus and surrounding locations. the ride is filled with aimless chatter and small talk, that much he was used to, and nothing more nor nothing less. comfortable, muses the blond, that's how he would describe it.

  


soon the vehicle pulls up to a quaint-looking building that has a neon sign outside flashing the words 'casa de música' on it. fernando awkwardly rubs at the back of his neck as he abandons the taxi and offers a hand to the younger, offering a bashful smile as he motions to the sign.

  


"i wasn't sure about what was first date material," tentatively explains the spaniard with a timid smile as he leads the younger into the building. "i mean, dates are sort of—" he pauses, bites his lip, then offers another smile. "is this okay?"

  


once inside the establishment, the aroma of freshly made cuisine and varying alcohol assaults his senses, but it's a breathtaking atmosphere nonetheless. the people look friendly enough and are dressed casual but that isn't what captures his attention, no. what captures his attention is the sight of a broad stage in the very center of the restaurant with a karaoke station set up there, a pair singing the lyrics that appear on the digital screen, crooning for those in the bar to listen to.

  


grinning to himself, the blond nods enthusiastically, "this is—yeah, this is nice, i like it."

  


the waiter is quick and swift with taking their orders and sits the pair rather close to the stage where people are crowded standing up and singing along with the couple currently still poised on stage. fernando is looking a little uncertain of himself, something that seemed foreign to the freckled boy, antoine quirking a brow and gathering his attention.

  


"i was going to go with dinner and a movie, but that's too mainstream." explains the spaniard as he nods toward the direction of the singer. "but at least we can embarrass the hell out of ourselves in front of random strangers, right?"

  


"infinitely better," agrees antoine with a broad grin as he glances around at the varying people within the bar. "there's no way you'll get me to sing though."

  


fernando rolls his eyes playfully, nodding, leaning across the table with a smug grin. "you wanna bet i can't? because i will throw down ten bucks right now that says you will."

  


"oh yeah?" the spaniard raises his brows in a challenge, wiggling them slightly, as he temporarily averts their gaze to thank the waiter for the drinks. "what's your master plan then?"

  


"you'll see," there's a twinkle within the spaniard's eyes as he breathes the words, unwrapping his straw and dropping it into his soda, taking measured sips. "it won't be too hard, i mean—you wouldn't let me go up there looking like an idiot by myself, would you? because even if you did, i'd just end up picking you up and throwing you over my shoulder and, i mean, which is worse?"

  


thinking about the idea, the blond hums to himself, questioning whether or not the spaniard would actually do such a thing. "i don't believe you," adamantly states the blond, eyes narrowing playfully. "i don't even think you could carry me anyway. i'm small but it's all muscle."

  


that garners a snort from the freckled man who waves a hand in dismissal at the claim. "yeah, yeah. you say that but i'm pretty sure i held you for the ten minutes it took to make you cum on that washing machine, 'member that?"

  


this was definitely not the conversation to be having over a first date let alone a public location like a restaurant but somehow antoine still finds it within himself to choke on the soda he's sipping on, spluttering like an absolute fool. all fernando can do is feign innocence, however, as the blond gathers attention to himself from a handful of other patrons sitting nearby. the blond continues to choke on laughter until their waiter returns to check on them, to which fernando assures that all is well, just that his 'date' has a hard time swallowing.

  


"please stop," snickers antoine as he reaches absently for the napkin that fernando offers him to dab at his mouth. "time and place, remember?"

  


"you're doubting my strength and questioning my masculinity," muses the freckled man, laughing himself as he maneuvers a sneaker-clad foot beneath the table to gingerly slide along the bottom of antoine's pants-leg. "i have to defend my honor, y'know."

  


"oh yeah?" antoine queries, smirk twitching at the corners of his lips. "is seducing your date also part of that effort, too, or—?"

  


"you're gonna get up there and sing with me," reinstates the brunet more confidently this time as he continues his administrations. "i just have to wear down your defenses first, shouldn't be too hard, ant."

  


as if that were a difficult thing to do. the blond purses his lips firmly together, determined to not encourage the brunet any further than he already was, even though he found himself smiling regardless of his attempt to remain calm and collected. it was far too easy to fall into routine with the freckled man, probably easier to fall for him as well, but he didn't want to think about that right now. not when fernando is staring at him with bright and fond eyes with a grin tugging on his lips, so confident and sure of himself; because how could he think when that look of adoration was being cast in his direction?

  


soon the food comes, not that the blond was anticipating it and its distraction. he's having far too much fun being the subject of fernando's attention and getting to know him that he isn't certain that he could eat without the impulse to talk more and more. somehow he manages though, around chewing and sipping at his soda, glancing up at the elder through his lashes when the elder asks him questions or makes more stupid jokes.

  


"oh, i learned some french for you." fernando speaks up after a moment once antoine swallows the meat within his mouth completely, the blond looking a little skeptical but motioning for him to continue nonetheless. "okay, so. my accent is fucked, don't laugh. but, uh. j'aime ton cul."

  


antoine coughs awkwardly this time, eyes wide, the blond looking vaguely offended by the words spoken to him. "what?" he laughs, brows raising almost to his hairline, digits running through his stylized locks with a perplexed cant of his head. "did you google that or something? you massive dork."

  


"i asked this kid in the french club earlier," hesitantly breathes the spaniard with a hopeful smile. "i have no idea what i actually said but it looks like you're pissed at me."

  


"that kid screwed you over," snickers the blond as he sips at his soda once more. "you told me you liked my ass?"

  


"oh that little fucker." murmurs fernando with a vengeance but ends up shrugging a halfhearted shoulder. "well, i mean, it's not un-true. i do like your ass, very much, but that's not what i was trying to say."

  


"what were you trying to say then?" prompts the blond, fingers toying with his bottom lip, brushing along the skin there and leaning forward, intrigued, with whatever it was the latter was about to say.

  


"i like you, that's what i tried to say." fernando states, cheeks darkening in a flush. "it's sort of obvious but i mean, i guess if i'm going to impress you with french, i should either actually learn or stick to google translate?"

  


"oh." 

  


and he shouldn't be stunned, not really, because he didn't think he could have possibly been imagining the way that fernando was looking at him. but being unsure, he didn't want to ask, could only hope that it was what he thought it was and not just overly-friendly glances being sent his way. apparently the silence on the blond's end frightens the spaniard because he's awkwardly shifting within his seat, gaze downcast toward the half-eaten food that still litters his plate.

  


"no, i'm not—i just didn't think you would, y'know, actually say that.. i guess..?"

  


looking bewildered by the admittance, the brunet quirks a brow, nibbling at his lower lip. "i asked you on a date?" breathlessly laughs the elder with a matter-of-factual tone lacing his words.

  


scapegoat is the first thought that the blond thinks of as he abruptly rises to his feet and grabs onto fernando's hand to tug him toward the now-clear stage. "you wanted me to sing, right?" antoine questions, which brightens the elder's face considerably, who nods vigorously as he climbs onto the stage next to the blond. "this is the first song i learned in spanish," whispers the blond, as if it's some deep dark secret.

  


before fernando can lean forward to peer at the song he had chosen, an all-too-familiar beat begins to play. "you've gotta be kidding me," snorts the brunet as the lyrics steadily begin to appear on the screen, the blond nodding his head this way and that to the beat as he begins to sing: 

  


' **Para bailar La Bamba**

**Para bailar La Bamba'**

  


all the brunet can do then is chuckle as he cheers the blond on beside him as he begins to sing the first verse and he doesn't sound too bad if the way the crowd whoops is anything to go by. so fernando, who lacks a microphone, just does a little dance in his spot and feigns playing a guitar as he mouths the words to the song. somehow the blond possesses more of a prominent spanish accent as he sings, and fernando finds himself impressed by that, at least until the microphone is suddenly thrust in his direction by a breathless antoine who chuckles and clutches at his stomach. 

  


"i don't even know the lyrics," fernando defends as the lyrics begin to sluggishly crawl down the screen once more, highlighting the words he should have been singing. 

  


but antoine is looking insistent, "you can't leave me looking stupid, can you?"

  


"you little—" but he's consumed with laughter as he begins to sing, off-key, to the lyrics on the screen with encouragement from antoine who smiles and cheers him on wearing a permanent scarlet flush.

  


' **Se necessita una poca de gracia**

**Una poca de gracia**

**Para mi, para ti, ay arriba, ay arriba**

**Ay, arriba arriba** '

  


and with the final line of the song, fernando points his forefinger at antoine, singing it directly to him around a breathless laugh. "por ti sere, por ti sere, por ti sere."

  


 

-

 

  


there have been numerous other kisses since the two had started their casual rendezvous'. but this one, the one that fernando delivers after walking antoine back to the door of his dorm, this one is different in every way. it was like their first, though it wasn't, but it felt like it and that's all that mattered to the blond as he allows his lips to linger for a moment longer than necessary.

  


  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for the record, i don't own the songs included in the story, which are: booty call by ke$ha, bella by maitre gims, and la bamba by ritchie valens. ;) 
> 
> i hope you guys liked it ? this saga is done so far, at least in this story, though i think i may make it into a series with individual one-shots? or i'll just continue this story here? who knows? :p

**Author's Note:**

> lemme know if you like it ?


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